|
 Full-season watering
Watering throughout the season means homeowners will be mowing more
as the grass will continue to grow. There is more of a time
commitment for mowing and more maintenance to keep mower blades
sharp. Homeowners will have a fertilizer schedule that also
continues through the summer months to take advantage of the water.
“When you do water, best management practice is to water deeply, yet
infrequently,” Hentschel says. This style of watering will drive
roots deeper into the soil profile, making more water available for
growth as the upper profile dries.
Besides “neighborhood bragging rights,” the upside of a higher level
of lawn management will be grass clippings for mulching vegetable
gardens or perennial beds or a compost bin or pile. Best mowing
practices suggest a mowing that is so timely that clippings are just
returned to the lawn to decompose naturally, releasing nutrition
back into the soil.
To keep the lawn healthy and competitive against weed competition,
Hentschel suggests following the one-third rule. “Mow often enough
to only remove a third of the grass blade at a time,” he says.
Irrigation systems
"If you are lucky enough to be running an irrigation system, be sure
it has the correct spray pattern overlap" Hentschel says. "If it is
a zoned system, be sure to adjust for exposures." Western and
southern exposures will need more water than a northern or eastern
exposure. Make sure the system is operating properly including head
operation and checking for any line leaks.
Dormant watering
For homeowners deciding not to do a full season of watering, the
lawn will look different as the growing season moves along. "They
will get that spring flush of growth like everyone else," Hentschel
says. "That settles down as the drier late June weather arrives.
This is where our lawn maintenance schedule begins to change.”
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column] |
Not watering means there’s less mowing, but the one-third rule
still applies. Without watering, no summer fertilizers are needed. The lawn
naturally will go dormant during hot summer months until cooler weather and
rains come back.
Here comes the difference in the two lawn care versions. While the lawn is
dormant and to keep from having dead grass in the fall, enough watering must be
done to keep the plant crowns hydrated until that better weather shows up.
“This will not turn the lawn green yet will keep it alive,” Hentschel says.
About one-half inch of water every few weeks is enough. Once growth resumes
naturally, so can the fall fertilization along with increased mowing.
###
University of Illinois Extension is the outreach effort of the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, offering educational programs to residents of all
of Illinois' 102 counties and far beyond. Illinois Extension provides practical
education you can trust to help people, businesses, and communities solve
problems, develop skills, and build a better future. Through our Agriculture and
Natural Resources programs, Illinois Extension supports the economic viability
and environmental sustainability of natural and managed landscapes and
productive lands in Illinois. Horticulture program educators provide
research-based information and training about gardening, fruits and vegetables,
flowers, insects and diseases, composting, landscaping, and more.
[Anita Wilkinson
Communications Program Coordinator
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION] |
