 |
|
In the summer months, there
is an increase in the demand for water. Keep your lawn green and
garden growing by using more efficient watering practices.
Outdoor water tips:
-
Water your lawn in
the cool part of the day, either early morning or early evening.
-
Raise the blade level
of your lawn mower to six to nine centimetres.
-
Give your grass 1½
to 3 centimetres of water once per week.
-
Frequent watering encourages
shallow root growth and unhealthy grass.
-
Don't apply fertilizer
(nitrogen) in the summer - new growth requires more water.
-
Sweep sidewalks and
driveways clean instead of using a running hose.
-
Avoid puddles and runoff
when watering your lawn.
-
Save water by xeriscaping.
-
Use a trigger nozzle
on your hose.
-
Buy an outdoor water
kit and save!!!
-
Repair all leaks, change
a washer!
-
Plant drought-resistant
trees and plants.
-
Place a layer of mulch
around tress and plants to slow the evaporation of moisture
and discourage weed growth.
Discovering
your soil type: a guide to perfect lawn watering
When lawn watering, it's important to know the kind of soil your
lawn has. Soil type affects water absorption and the soil's maximum
water holding capacity. Therefore, different soil types need different
watering amounts. Follow these easy steps to perfect lawn watering:
- examine soil and select
soil type
- measure the depth of
grass roots
- use chart (below) to
find lawn's water- ing amount
- do 'catch-can test'
to find sprinkler run time
- water off-peak and learn
to recognize signs of drought
Determine soil type
Soil is made up of sand,
silt and clay particles. Your soil's mixture of these particles
determines its soil type or its texture. It's rare to find only
a sand or clay soil. You can figure out your soil type by using
the chart below, or have it professionally analyzed. Call Toronto's
Civic Garden Centre at 397-1345 or the Soil and Nutrient Lab, University
of Guelph, at (519) 767-6226.
| Sandy
Loam |
Individual
sand grains can readily be seen and felt. Squeezed when dry,
a cast can be formed which readily falls apart. Squeezed when
moist, a cast can be formed that will bear careful handling
without breaking. |
| Loam |
A somewhat
gritty feel, when moist is slightly plastic. Squeezed when dry,
it will form a cast that will bear careful handling, the cast
formed by squeezing the moist soil can be handled quite freely
without breaking. |
| Silt
Loam |
When dry,
it may appear quite lumpy, but the lumps can be readily broken;
and when pulverized, it feels smooth, soft, and floury. Either
dry or moist, it will form casts that can be freely handled
without breaking; but when moistened and squeezed between the
thumb and finger,it will not "ribbon" but will be broken in
appearance. |
| Clay
Loam |
When dry,
usually breaks into lumps that are hard. When the moist soil
is pinched between the thumb and finger, it will form a thin
"ribbon" which will break readily. The moist soil will form
a cast that will bear much handling. It does not crumble readily. |
Soil Cast = clump created
by squeezing a small amount of soil in the palm of your hand.
Root zone depth
Dig out a chunk of grass
and use a ruler to measure how deep the roots are growing. The depth
of your grass' roots is important when deciding how much water your
lawn needs each time you water. Together, the root zone depth and
soil type determine the correct amount of water for your lawn. Example:
A 20 cm root zone depth and sandy loam soil type needs 2.6 cm watering
amount.
Lawn watering
amounts for different soil types
| Root Zone Depth |
Sandy Loam |
Loam |
Silt Loam |
Clay Loam |
| 10cm |
1.3cm |
1.1cm |
1.7cm |
1.0cm |
| 15cm |
2.0cm |
1.7cm |
2.6cm |
1.5cm |
| 20cm |
2.6cm |
2.2cm |
3.4cm |
2.0cm |
| 25cm |
3.3cm |
2.8cm |
4.3cm |
2.5cm |
Note: Watering amounts
are average values and may vary slightly depending on exact soil
type and root zone depth. At the first sign of run-off or puddles,
reduce water amount.
 Sprinkler
run time
To find out how long to water
your lawn to reach its required watering amount, perform a "catch
can test".
If you water with a portable
sprinkler, place identical-sized, straight-edged containers in a
straight line leading away from the sprinkler to the edge of the
sprinklers' water pattern. If you water with an in-ground irrigation
system, place identical-sized containers randomly throughout your
lawn's irrigated area.
- Run sprinkler for 15
minutes.
- Measure the depth of
water in each container.
- Add the depths together.
Divide by the number of containers.
- The result is the average
amount of water delivered by your sprinkler in 15 minutes.
Example: You used four
containers and they collected two, three, three and four cm of water.
Therefore, your sprinkler is delivering 3 cm of water in a 15 minute
period.
How often to water
If you have an automatic
timer attached to your outdoor water tap, set your sprinkler to
water late at night, just before you go to bed or early in the morning,
just before you go to work. The best time is during "off peak" times,
between 11:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. The great thing about this is that
you don't have to worry about turning off your tap, it will turn
off automatically. Remember, if the weather forecast is calling
for rain, leave the watering to nature!
Do you need to water?
-
Walk on
your grass, does it spring back into position or do your footprints
linger for awhile? If your prints linger, get out the sprinkler.
-
Is your
grass a bluish-green rather than a bright green? If yes, you
may need to water.
-
Are your
roots getting enough moisture? Insert a moisture probe (the
ones you use for house plants) deep into your lawn to monitor
its moisture level.
- Seeing puddles and run-off
from your lawn? Don't touch the sprinkler, your lawn needs a break.
Let your lawn dry out between waterings to discourage fungus and
rot.
Other helpful
resources
For more information related to natural lawn and garden care, please go to www.toronto.ca/health/pesticides/index.htm
Booklet
Get a great lawn
with all the trimmings: Your guide to lawn care
Fact sheets:
- Xeriscaping: water-conserving
landscaping
- Organic lawn care
- Organic insecticides
and fungicides for the garden
- Natural recipes for a
pest-free garden
- Using plants to protect
other plants
- Grass seeding tips
- Alternative groundcovers
- Gardening - make the
mulch of it!
return
to saving money and water at home
|
|
