Watering tips to keep your grass in tip top shape

Enjoying green lush grass does'nt have to be a nightmare! Watering a lawn is as important as feeding it with fertiliser. Follow these rules when it comes to watering your lawns and earn the title of "Green Grass Guru" in the neighbourhood!

To get the best from each watering session , remember first to aerate any compacted areas (possibly caused by high traffic), and not to underwater,overwater or water when the temperature is too high.

• During autumn and winter, water once a month.

• In spring and summer, water every week during dry spells. It is best to do this infrequentlyto encourage the roots to grow deeper in search of water.

• Avoid watering before you mow.If you plan to mow your lawn on a Saturday, then dont water on the Friday or Saturday.

OVERWATERING

Puddles are a good indicator of saturated soil, which means you can stop watering as any further water will just run off. An overwatered lawn is at risk of fungal infection and also poor soil as the excess water reduces the amount of oxygen getting to the roots and micro organisms that can keep the soil healthy.

It also encourages shallow roots as they dont need to go deep in search of water. (Short roots mean the grass will not tolerate heat and drought season well, leaving you with poorly coloured , poor quality grass)

Watering too frequently, such as every day, is one way to over-water. Weeds tend to sprout on an overwatered lawn and thus also become more of an issue.

UNDERWATERING

Dry, dead lawn is a good indicator that you need to water your lawn more often. If not enough water is getting to the roots , then the roots will die.

JUST RIGHT

Ten minutes of watering is enough to provide you with a deeply watered lawn. A lawn's root system is shallow , so any more than 10 minutes is a waste. Thats why an irrigation system with a timer is a grand idea. It means your entire lawn can be watered for the correct length of time at the correct time of day.

#gardening #landscaping