Wise watering helps your lawn keep on giving

Green living: Follow KSL Homes tips for getting the most out of your sprinkler system.

In case you hadn’t noticed, grass loves cool temperatures and water — two things Utah doesn’t normally have in abundance. Even after a winter of heavy snow, and then a spring with rivers of rain, it will always be a place we need to conserve water. How can you keep a green yard, then? While reducing your turf size will certainly help, there are other ways you can have a lawn without overburdening the state’s always limited water supply.

Dig for answers

Regardless of how healthy — or unhealthy — your lawn looks, you’ll get a better understanding of your turf’s needs with a soil test. This should be done at the start of the growing season. The test can tell you if there are deficiencies, so you can apply necessary fertilizers and skip the unneeded ones. You can get a test kit from a home gardening store or from any Utah State University County Extension office.

If you’ve recently built your home, the soil may need more fertilizer to get a healthy yard growing well. If you have established grass, the soil may need a nutrient boost. Rather than relying strictly on chemicals, consider using natural products such as compost or manure.

Time it right

Although it seems contradictory, it’s actually OK for your lawn to stress a little. In fact, going as long as possible between waterings encourages the grass roots to push deeper into the ground, and thus have a greater reservoir of water to pull from. In the spring, limit watering to only twice per week so your yard is prepped for the hot summer days ahead.

It’s also perfectly fine for the ground to dry out somewhat between waterings, but not too much. If the soil seems too dry and runoff may be an issue, water lightly at first. Wait an hour, then water it deeply.

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Wait for it

While your lawn may look stressed in the middle of the day, resist the urge to turn on a sprinkler. Some 30% of the water you use will be lost to evaporation, making it a futile effort. Instead, start your watering in the evening or in the early morning hours. For the most efficient watering, set your automatic sprinkling systems to run through the night.

Hand watering

Need a little extra on a particular spot, or don’t have an automatic system at all? If you’re watering with a hose and manual sprinkler, install a timer on your water tap. Then you can set it and forget it, instead of just the latter. Timers turn on the flow and let it run for however long you set it. You’ll still need to move the sprinkler yourself.

Use your heads

Ever switched eyeglasses with someone? Maybe you could see, but not as well as with your own. It’s the same with properly sized sprinkler heads. The wrong ones can do the job, but not nearly as effectively. Be sure to use a head and nozzle that will cover the area it should, not more or less.

Also, put areas with similar needs in the same zone. Spray and rotary heads should be in different ones, since the latter emit less water in the same time period. Likewise, a large section of your yard will need a longer run time than the flower bed.

Fixing problems

Even with a perfectly placed system, you may find you have dry spots. This is usually the result of broken, sunken, clogged or tilted sprinklers. Watch — during daylight hours — as you run through all your zones at least once per month to check that the lawn is being properly covered.

Sprinkler types

When it comes time to replace sprinkler heads — because of age or an errant mower blade — opt for high efficiency nozzles. If your heads are still in good shape, you can still switch out the nozzle itself. Just unscrew the old one and put the new one on. USU Extension suggests keeping all heads in a zone the same brand, head and model to keep your system working as efficiently as possible, as water output may vary between models.

Heavy hitters vs. little leaguers

Using the right sprinkler heads and an automatic system helps to not only reduce runoff, but also conserve water in the first place. Use the right one for the area you’re trying to cover.

Rotary heads

• Best for large areas, 15-50 feet
• Spreads steady stream of water while rotating back and forth
• Low flow, so less runoff or puddling

Spray heads

• Work well in smaller areas
• Stationary, which may lead to excess runoff or puddling
• Higher water output

Bubblers

• Small heads, can be placed anywhere
• Used for flower beds, individual plants
• Soaks small area quickly

Drip system

• Tube with holes, works well on uneven ground
• Slow, but highly efficient
• No runoff
• Useful to water trees, shrubs, potted plants, flower beds

If you’re installing a watering system for the first time, you can get help figuring out what will work best in your yard. Sprinkler supply companies and garden centers will often create a design for you at no charge, providing you purchase all your supplies from them. They’ll suggest head and nozzle sizes as well as proper spacing for optimal efficiency.

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Reduce, reuse, recycle

Cut down on your water usage by taking advantage of what nature has to offer. Before summer storms, set out a basin to collect rainwater to use later for flower beds or dry spots. Collect even more by connecting your gutters to a rain barrel. 

Save yourself work and expense, while helping your yard, by reusing grass clippings. Instead of bagging them — and tossing out all the fertilizer you applied — use the mower’s mulch setting. This puts the nutrients right back into your soil. Clippings can also be spread out and used as a natural weed barrier in your garden.

Finally, give your grass a chance to protect itself. Although a super short cut may look neat, keeping your mower setting at 3 inches will leave your lawn much healthier and will require less water. You can do 2 inches if you absolutely must, but keep in mind that the shorter it is, the shallower the roots and weaker the grass. 

Starting over

Once fall arrives, it’s time to do any reseeding. It’s also the best time to start a new lawn, because the seed has time to become well established before next year’s heat. You get a healthier yard without applying as much water to get it there.

Aerating

It’s also more effective to wait until fall to aerate your yard. Aerating pulls plugs from the grass to reduce compaction and lets water get in — all good. However, it also exposes your lawn’s roots. Best to do that when the sun isn’t trying as hard to scorch it.

You don’t need to move to a northwestern state to enjoy a green lawn, but you do need to work a little harder to have one responsibly in Utah. Learn more about conserving water and caring for your yard on KSL Homes.