Proper Watering of Your Grapevine Lawn

Proper watering in Grapevine
Proper watering in Grapevine

Proper Watering of Your Grapevine Lawn

In general, it is recommended that you give your lawn 1 inch of water per week. You can observe your grass to know if it is getting enough water. Wilting and discoloration are signs of water stress. At the first sign of wilting, you have 24-48 hours to water before serious injury occurs. Apply 1 inch of water to the lawn as rapidly as possible. We want to water deeply as much as possible. This will encourage the roots to grow deeper. If we only do shallow watering in Grapevine the roots will stay up in the first couple of inches where it is moist and not be encouraged to put down deep roots. Shallow roots lead to damage from heat stress and damage from cold winters.

Proper Watering – Cycle Soak Method:

This method applies water slowly so the soil can absorb all the water. Run your sprinkler zone as long as it takes to water well but stop if when water starts to run off or puddle. This is the amount of time it takes to water before runoff. Divide that time by 2 or 3 and use that divided time for your sprinkler duration. Set the clock to cycle 2 or 3 times, whatever you used to divide by.

For example, your water starts to run off at 36 minutes. You divide 36 minutes by 3, so you would set your watering duration for 12 minutes and have it cycle through the zones 3 times.

Whether you water with a hose or an irrigation system, you should water in the late evening and/or morning to avoid wasted water through evaporation and avoid risk of disease.

If you have new plantings like trees and shrubs, you should keep them watered until they are established. Water them about 2 inches per week the first year. For established landscape plants, the feeding root system is mostly within the top 12 inches of the soil at the drip line. The drip line is the area directly below the outermost reaches of the branches. Apply water just inside and a little beyond the drip line, not at the trunk. Saturate the soil to 8 to 10 inches.

If you do not have an underground irrigation system you should consider one.  Being able to time your watering will help watering savings and save you time.  Having your water set to come on automatically can help keep the soil around your foundation moist so that the risk of your house foundation being damaged is at a minimum.

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