Sprinklers
How much/when should you be watering to have a healthy lawn?
There will never be a “one size fits all” answer to this question.
So here are the basics on general recommendations, and when you should make tweaks based on factors that may relate to you. You can make adjustments based on your goals and expectations
How many days per week should you water?
- If our temperatures are consistently in the 80’s:
- To maintain the current health of your lawn- 2-3 days/ week
- To revive a dry/yellow lawn- 4-6 days per week.
- If our temperatures are consistently in the 90’s:
- To maintain the current health of your lawn- 3-4 days/ week
- To revive a dry/yellow lawn- 5-6 days per week.
Don’t forget to cut the watering back once your lawn recovers.
What time of day should you water?
I almost always suggest avoiding watering late at night during the PM hours. This will encourage fungus in your lawn. It is usually best to set your sprinklers to end their cycle right around sunrise. This is much less important when it comes to drip zones for trees and shrubs.
How many minutes per day should you run your sprinklers?
Here is one of the most common mistakes I am seeing people make. You need to take a look at which type of sprinkler heads you have.
If you have zones with Rotor heads, including MP rotator nozzles. Those zones generally need to be run for twice the time compared to standard pop-up heads with mist spray nozzles in order to get the same amount of water onto those areas. The areas with these rotor heads typically cover more area and they do not constantly spray the same area. It is very common to have some of your zones with stationary pop ups, and others with rotors. So pay attention and adjust the times according to each zone.
Typically watering less frequently at more minutes will get the water deeper, encouraging your roots to follow the water deep which will help prepare it for the summer heat.
Take a look at these images to see which heads need more/less time.
Here are the scenarios that you would be better off reducing the minutes and adding more frequency in order to not waste water.
Areas that are sloped.
Too much water too quickly on a hill will run off and not absorb into the soil.
If you have sandy soil.
Heavy watering in sandy soil will likely saturate too deep for the roots to get to all of it.
If your soil is currently very dry and hard.
Dry soil will typically not absorb water as fast. To avoid run off it’s best to temporarily run your sprinklers much more frequently with less minutes. This is only a temporary plan until your soil softens up.
Quick mowing tips for a healthier lawn
Mow at least once per week.
The more frequent you mow, the thicker and healthier your lawn will be. A thicker lawn will add more shade on your soil which reduces evaporation.
Mow with sharp mower blades.
Mowing with sharp blades will promote a healthier lawn that is less susceptible to disease If you are just mowing your own lawn, replacing or sharpening your blades once per year is usually plenty. It is typically around the same cost to buy new blades vs. getting them sharpened professionally.
Raise your mower cutting height just before temps hit 90+ degrees.
A taller lawn will add more shade too. Which will help you reduce watering.
It’s best to mow the lawn dry.
It will be easier for you, your mower, it’s healthier for the lawn, and it looks a lot better.
Click Here to watch a variety of How To videos on adjusting sprinkler timer on our YouTube Channel
Lawn Voles
- Voles are small rodents that resemble field mice. They dig tunnels in the ground during the winter to stay warm.
- They mainly eat stems and blades of lawn grass—so it’s usually vole tunnels that you’ll see near the surface of the yard.
You’ll know voles by the shallow, snakelike tunnels that you’ll see all over your lawn. The tunnels are about two inches wide and very near the surface so they can eat their favorite foods: grass stems and blades. Voles are especially manic in the early springtime.
Step 1
- Grab a leaf rake and lightly rake out the areas
- You will notice a lot of dead grass along these lines- don’t get too aggressive with it, the goal is to expose the dirt and get a better air flow so that the grass can spread and fill itself in.
Step 2
- Look around on the lines for holes. These holes are where the voles go in and out of their tunnels.
- Fill in the holes with rodent bait
PRO TIP-
- Fill the holes in with dirt after you insert the rodent bait so that you can see where they are popping back up and where you still have a problem.
- It is also safer for your pets and children as the bait will harm if ingested
Step 3
- Set out bait boxes. We recommend the lockable boxes to keep pets and children safe
- You want to make sure that you are setting these boxes close to where the damage is and up along structures. i.e. fence line, house, or garden.
*We use commercial grade bait boxes from our vendor. But amazon offers this as a good option for homeowners. CLICK HERE
How To Seed Your Lawn
There are 2 great times to seed here in Northern Utah
- April (once freezing temps have passed)
- Late September / Early October (Once the extended forecasted temps are 80 degrees or below)
*Remember like we talked about last month… DO NOT apply any sort of pre-emergent fertilizers to the areas you plan to seed. If you already have done so, then it’s best to wait until either fall or next spring.
- Leaf rake
- Seed
- Peat moss buy here
- Things to consider when picking your seed type.
- Is the area in full sun or shade?
- How much water will your lawn get?
- Kentucky Bluegrass is by far the most common grass type here in northern Utah. It does well in full sun to partial shade areas. It also does well in areas with high use and foot traffic. Plus if cared for properly, it will spread and self repair damage. We do recommend a mix of 80% Kentucky Bluegrass and 20% Perennial rye to allow some variance for tolerance of disease, insects, etc.
* Kentucky Bluegrass
- Turf Type Tall Fescue is less common in our area, but it is becoming more popular because it’s more drought tolerant. It also does very well in Shady areas. One major downside, is that Turf Type Tall Fescue does not spread and self repair itself like Kentucky Bluegrass. So as problems arise and bare spots pop up you will need to spot seed these areas.
*Turf Type Tall Fescue
- Rake out dead grass and other debris from the area you want to seed. The goal is to have good seed to soil contact once you apply the seed.
- Spread the seed over the desired areas. Be careful not to get seed in unwanted areas like flower beds. Or else you will create much more weeding for yourself later this year.
- Throw a thin ¼”-½” layer of peat moss over the top of the seeded areas. This will create more seed to soil contact, and help keep the seed in place.
- You need to keep the top layer of peat moss and soil consistently wet for 3-4 weeks. Depending on your sprinklers and the weather… You should water 3-4 times per day, for 2-5 minutes each area each time.
- You are just keeping the area wet. Don’t flood the area out. The peat moss turns a darker color when wet. So use that as an easy indicator to see if it needs more water.
- Do your best to stay off these areas. You will have more success in doing so.
- Have patience. Especially if you are planting Kentucky Bluegrass. It will take at least 3 weeks for the seed to even sprout open.
Jump Start Your Lawn This Spring
- Walk around your yard and take a look if you have leaves, pine needles or other debris on top of the lawn. If you do, these will smother your lawn and slowly turn it into bare dirt.
- First loosen up the material with a leaf rake
- Now mow your lawn and make sure to collect the clippings so that it sucks up all the debris on your grass
PRO TIP
Doing this will help your lawn stay thick and lush this yearFirst loosen up the material with a leaf rake
Snow Mold
- Snow mold is a fungus that damages or kills grass during the winter months. It becomes visible as the snow melts off in the spring.
- Snow mold typically appears as circular shapes ranging from 3”-15” in diameter. It is normal to have these circles overlap each other to where it’s hard to differentiate each circle.
- Snow mold is common in areas that are covered with snow for extended periods of time. This fungus forms from the following.
- Lack of oxygen and sunlight to the grass.
- Too much moisture in the area
- If possible, remove snow from the affected areas.
- Lightly rake the snow mold spots to separate/ stand up the blades of grass. This will help these areas get more oxygen and sunlight to dry out faster.
- If more snow is expected for the current winter, we recommend that you apply a fungicide to the lawn. Make sure that the active ingredient has PCNB.
- Apply a fertilizer to the lawn once spring hits, this will help the areas grow themselves out and repair faster.
- If you aren’t happy with the progress by early to mid April, you can spot seed the bare areas. Seeding before April will not work, also if you applied a pre-emergent weed control to your lawn, seeding likely won’t work either.
- At the end of every season lower your mower deck height by one notch each week for 3 weeks & bag the grass clippings.
- Apply a fungicide to the entire lawn before the first major snowfall. Be sure that PCNB is in the active ingredients.
- When possible, avoid piling snow on the lawn, especially in shaded areas where it will take extra time to melt.
Preparing To Seed
- Do not apply a pre-emergent fertilizer to your lawn at least 2-3 months before seeding. Pre-emergent fertilizer prevents new weeds from growing in your lawn. It does this by stopping new seeds from growing for up to 3 months from application date. Don’t even bother wasting your time if this has already been done, you will have little to no success.
- Most lawn care companies including us will include pre-emergent weed control for the first 1-2 treatments each spring. So make sure to let us know before your first treatment and we will make the proper adjustments to your program.
- For the DIYers, this includes IFA step 1 and Scotts Turf Builder “Halts Crabgrass”. If the bag says anything about “crabgrass preventer” or “preventing weeds, stay away if seeding.
- There are 2 great times to seed here in Northern Utah.
- April
- Late September / Early October (Once the extended forecasted temps are 80 degrees or below)
- Things to consider when picking your seed type.
- Is the area in full sun or shade?
- How much water will your lawn get?
- Kentucky Bluegrass is by far the most common grass type here in northern Utah. It does well in full sun to partial shade areas. It also does well in areas with high use and foot traffic. Plus if cared for properly, it will spread and self repair damage. We do recommend a mix of 80% Kentucky Bluegrass and 20% Perennial rye to allow some variance for tolerance of disease, insects, etc.
* Kentucky Bluegrass
- Turf Type Tall Fescue is less common in our area, but it is becoming more popular because it’s more drought tolerant. It also does very well in Shady areas. One major downside, is that Turf Type Tall Fescue does not spread and self repair itself like Kentucky Bluegrass. So as problems arise and bare spots pop up you will need to spot seed these areas.
*Turf Type Tall Fescue
- For premium Kentucky Bluegrass & Perennial Ryegrass,
- We suggest you BUY IT HERE
- The 10lb bag will cover 1,500 – 2,500 square feet.
- The 25lb bag will cover 4,000 – 6,000 square feet.
- For premium Turf Type Tall Fescue,
- We suggest you BUY IT HERE
- The 10lb bag will cover 600 – 1000 square feet
- March is too early to seed your lawn. Check our tips next month for step by step directions.
Aeration
- The process of loosening compacted soil to help your soil get more air, water and nutrients. It also helps your lawn’s roots to spread much easier and faster to create a healthier lawn that is more drought resistant.
- There are 2 major types of lawn aeration.
- Mechanical Aeration– is the most widely known. It is the process of using a machine to poke holes throughout your lawn. It removes cores of dirt and leaves these “turds” on the surface of your lawn. The existing soil then fills into these holes which loosens up the soil.
- Liquid Aeration– helps release acids out of the organic material in the soil creating more pore space throughout the soil. It also has a bio stimulant effect on the root zone of the turf which causes the roots to drive down deeper and break down even more soil.
- Regardless of which type of aeration you choose to do, you typically should aerate your lawn 1-2 times per year. Once in the spring, and once in the fall. If you choose to do 1 time per year, we recommend doing it during the spring months.
- When it comes to residential lawns, we almost always suggest that you do liquid aeration for the following reasons.
- Liquid aeration won’t spread Fungus throughout your lawn
- It takes much less physical work, and is typically less expensive than mechanical aeration. (we include 2 liquid aerations for free in our fertilizer program)
- You don’t have to deal with the “turds” on your lawn every year.
- There is no chance of breaking sprinkler heads with liquid aeration
