GrassCycling

Watering

Many Boulder County communities have established watering restrictions during the 2002 drought. Please check with your community prior to implementing your watering schedule.

There is no set schedule for watering, you just want to be sure to water when the grass is dry and be careful not to over water. Over watering will only cause your grass to grow faster which will mean more mowing. Two tests to check if it is time to water are the footprint method and the screwdriver test.

Footprint method: Walk across your lawn, if your footprints remain behind you it means that the blades of grass have low levels of water in their tissues. The longer your footprints remain the drier your lawn.

Screwdriver test: Press a screwdriver into your lawn. If it is difficult to push in, the soil is dry.

When you do water make sure that you give your lawn a good soaking and not just a light sprinkle, which can damage your lawn. A heavy soaking ensures deep root growth, which increases your lawn’s tolerance to drought. During the driest period of summer lawns require one inch of water every five to fourteen days. Most hose sprinklers apply 1/4 to 1/3 inch of water per hour. If water runs off your lawn before an inch, turn your sprinkler off and allow the water to soak in for an hour before continuing. next