Are You Watering Your Lawn To Death?

Water can sustain life or drown it. Too little or too much water applied at the wrong time and your lawn is left susceptible to diseases like fungus and molds that may be costly to fix. Many lawn diseases are preventable with good lawn care maintenance practices and proper watering techniques

A healthy lawn is best equipped to resist disease and drought, but many homeowners are undercutting their efforts with some bad watering practices. Here are some tried and true watering tips to prevent lawn diseases:

• The best time of day to water is early in the morning. Mid-day heat absorbs too much moisture from the air, and watering at night means leaves and grass is left wet all night which promotes disease.
• Don't water until there are puddles. Overwatering promotes disease as plants can't absorb all the water and are left wet for prolonged periods of time. Measure how much water your lawn is receiving, so you know the water when the water has penetrated the soil deep enough to reach the deeper roots of your lawn.
• Don't water so frequently that your lawn never grows 'thirsty'. Healthy lawns resistant to drought and disease have deep roots, but frequent watering doesn't encourage grass to grow deep roots. Wait until you can see your footprints in the grass when you walk before watering.
• Don't water so infrequently that your lawn goes through repeated growth and dormant periods. Most grass types that flourish in Ontario will go dormant in the hottest part of the summer and then experience quick regrowth when the weather cools. Either let your lawn go dormant during the hottest part of the summer, or water enough to keep it thriving during the heat waves.
• Watering different parts of your lawn unequally, under watering or overwatering, can leave a portion of your yard susceptible to disease. Many lawn diseases will spread and affect the entire yard if left unchecked.
• Dethatch your lawn once a year. Deep thatch prevents the water from effectively reaching the soil and traps moisture at the crown and left level of your lawn which is exactly where molds and fungus will thrive.
• New sod or seeded areas require more water to thrive and grow roots. Under watering these new grass areas can stunt or stress the new plants and allow weeds to move in.
• Don't mow your grass too short. This stresses your lawn and leaves it susceptible to disease and weeds, but also leaves the soil exposed to the sun so moisture evaporates more quickly.
• If your lawn is on a hill or incline, don't deliver so much water that it runs right off. This does not help the lawn on the incline and floods the lawn at the bottom leaving it vulnerable to disease.

The experts at Nutri-Lawn Ottawa Irrigation can help you determine the best irrigation system for your yard and your unique needs. We specialize in water conservation irrigation systems.
Contact us today for your complimentary quote.