Dr. Tom Samples of the Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service offers tips on watering your lawn the right way. "Think about your lawn for a moment," he advises. "There are probably areas that are sloped and areas that are flat. Each of these areas needs a different type of watering practice for the lawn to do its best." Water runs downhill, and where the lawn slopes, water doesn't have time to soak in and reach the roots before it begins to run off. The solution is to irrigate lightly, then irrigate another area of the lawn, then return to the sloped area and apply more water. This gives water time to soak in. You don't need to be high-tech to measure the amount of water that's getting to your lawn: you can do quite a good job by setting empty tuna cans on the lawn. Unlike a rain gauge that sits up above the turf, the tuna cans are right down where the water is being applied. Once the cans are in place, take note of the amount of time it takes to deliver 1/2" of water. Even if you're watering with portable sprinklers, you need to know how long it takes to deliver this amount of water to your lawn. Lawn grasses use about 1/10" of water per day. Some types of grasses, such as tall fescue, use more. If you use a manifold, you may have to water longer or turn off one sprinkler to deliver the required amount of water to your lawn. Make sure to provide enough water so that the sprinkler head can work properly. An oscillating sprinkler should deliver the same amount of water at the top of the arc as at the outside limit of the spray. Prime time to water the lawn is between 5 a.m. and no later than 10 a.m., and unless you want to become a slave to the process, an automatic system is best. Such a system can be programmed to deliver water at predetermined times and for specific intervals. Clay-based soils take up water more slowly than sandy soils. It's a good idea to dig into your turf with a trowel to see how deeply water is penetrating. Depending on your soil, you may need to water for longer or shorter intervals.
GUESTS :
Tom Samples
UT Agricultural Extension Service
PO Box 1971
Knoxville, TN 37901-1071
Phone: 865-974-2595
Fax: 865-974-1068
Email: aes.tsamples@utk.edu
Website: http://www.utextension.utk.edu
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