I live in the Northwest US (aka the Great North Wet) and late last fall i had an irrigation system installed. Its turned off now , but I'm looking ahead to spring and summer, what I am wondering about is:
Whats the best time of day to water? How often? And how long each time?
I also plan to slit-seed my lawn this spring to get a consistent grass type and to crowd out any weeds. Comments? Thanks Eric
It is best to water around 5 or 6 am, so that the sod can dry off during the day.
How much water is needed depends on many factors, but in most places, you need about 1 inch each week.
In general, it is better to have about 2 waterings a week to total that one inch, than to have a smaller amount of water 4 or 5 times a week. This allows for deeper roots, as the soil is moist to a deeper depth.
It is also good to have a rain cut off switch, so that if is rains, your sprinkler doesn't add too much uneeded water.
Hope these tips help...........
--James--
To the good advice already given, I'd add only water as much as necessary. Too much water, keeping a lawn wet, promotes disease and fungus which can kill grass. I'd start the watering so that it ends by about 8am or so. That minimizes loss to evaporation, but allows the lawn to dry out soon too.
For grass, IMO, the new fine blade, slower growing, tall fescues should be very good for your area. I reseeded my lawn here in NJ with a combo of duster tall fescue and blue grass this past fall. I grew a test sample of duster indoors, and it grows much slower than a typica tall fescue, like the Rebel varities, for example. I had tall fescue previously that performed well, except during periods of peak growth, it needed to be cut about every 4-5 days, which was a pain.
This spring, I'll see how well it comes out, but so far, it looks pretty good. There's lots of good info on grass seed at seedland.com
My system has Rain/Wind/temperature cutoffs. I'm thinking of starting watering early (oh say at 3:30am), i have 8 zones,
5-6 heads per zone. By 6 am the Water pressure here is low so i dont want to suck it down any further while people are getting up and showering. I'll have to set out a tuna can and see how fast it fills. Eric
Whatever i choose I'd very much like it to crowd out weeds and moss. Here in the NW moss is a terrible problem, it will even grow on your car if your not careful, the seams around my car door handle are green by spring. The grass up here needs a lot of water, its grown for so long in this wet climate it just needs it. In the summer its quite dry so if you don't water your lawn will just role over and die (I speak from experience) I'll check out seedlan.com Thanks Eric
Good day Eric, I manage many lawns here in the PNW and will tell you right now, your not going to find a grass to compete with the moss.
Things that will help (*your mileage may vary though*) is to keep the lawn
2.5 to 3 inches long. This will help to keep the moss from recieving light to grow. Besides that, your lawn will consume less water in our seasonal drought in July.No matter what many people say, moss is almost always caused by our lack of drainage here in the pnw. Redirecting a downspout here, a french tile there and you maybe very surprised how the lawn area will respond.
The best (imho) way to reduce moss is to aerate the lawn area once a year. This will help to promote drainage and help to change the culture of the lawn area so moss can't survive as well.
As far as grass seed goes, find a local cenex farmer's co-op supply. They carry a nice tall fescue called "crew cut". Tops out at 13 inches tall and (at least they say) roots upto 3 feet deep. No matter what, this grass browns off the last compared to other client's lawns, so it must root rather deeply. I've used this seed on many summer cabins out on the island where the lawns aren't kept up. They seem to pull through with 3 mows a year and no watering.
Good Luck.
Will it spread easily and fill in bare areas? Thanks Eric
Sure it will do that. I use "crew cut" alot due to our conditions up here. Your lawn area may do better with something else. Unsure where you live here in the pnw, but there should be a cenex farmers supply near-by. This (imo) is the best resource for you to find seed and fertilizer.
Another great resource here in the pnw is your local master gardeners extension office. They may have a better seed recommendation for your area.
I'm in the Lacey area My lawn nearly died last year , the grass clumped and bare areas appeared Then last fall i installed an irrigation system. The lawn looks much better after the early winter but its still not where it should be. So my plan is to find a seed that will spread easily and is right for my area and then slit seed the whole thing and see if i can get a decent looking lawn. Eric
Did you do any research on to why your lawn clumped and died? That doesn't sound like a lack of water issue. In fact, the brown lawns of summer are a natural consequence of hot dry weather. With the winter drought that we've got now, I wouldn't expect to be using your sprinkler system too often in August :-).
try this ... go to toro.com , then golf course management . you cant get any better advice on lawn care and diesese control than what they have to offer. as far as watering. spend 10.00 on a moistier dectector. and all ways water at night . My greens , fairways , tees , and roughs are A+. snoop arround in that area and you will be surprised.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.