How Often Should I Water My Lawn During The Summer?

Key Takeaways

Optimal lawn watering techniques:

• Watering Timing: Watering early in the morning reduces evaporation and fungal growth.
• Frequency and Depth: Less frequent, deep watering encourages deeper root growth and drought resistance.
• Adapting to Weather: Adjust watering based on rainfall and temperature to prevent overwatering or drought stress.

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If you live in Reno, Nevada (or any other semiarid climate location), you know how hot and dry the summer months are. Some families choose stone and gravel landscaping due to the extremely dry temperatures, and others want the look and feel of a traditional grass lawn.

This brings us to the question: how often should you water the lawn during the summer? There are a few factors to consider when deciding how often and how much to water your lawn. 

What Type of Grass Do You Have?

Knowing what type of grass you have to begin with is essential. If you are just starting to plant new grass seed, you will want to research to determine what type of grass will thrive. Cool-season grasses are typically found in Northern Nevada, including Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue. Cool-season grasses have adapted to thrive in areas with extreme seasonal temperature changes (cold winters, hot summers). 

Time of Day

Living in a dry climate means that water restrictions may be put into place for when you can and cannot water your lawn. Your local water utility company can provide you with your assigned water days. 

When it’s time to water, doing so during the cool summer mornings means that more of the water will reach the roots before evaporating. Then, as the sun comes out and the air warms up, the newly watered grass will slowly dry out over the course of the day.

If you only water your lawn during the afternoon's peak, then a lot of that water will evaporate immediately and never actually reach the root system of the lawn.

If you cannot water in the mornings, early evening is the next best time. Remember, in Reno/Sparks, we can have strong afternoon winds, which may blow the water away from the areas you are trying to reach. So check weather conditions before turning on those sprinklers. Additionally, leaving the lawn damp during the nighttime hours can promote possible disease. Be mindful of the potential hazards of watering the lawn at night.

How Much and How Often?

A general rule of thumb is to water your lawn one inch of water per week. You can use a rain gauge to measure an inch of water or grab a can and place it in the yard. Be sure to place the rain gauge (or can) in a shaded part of the yard so that the water does not evaporate in the sun. 

An early sign of stress to the lawn is noticing the grass turning from rich green color to more of a dark and dull green before it starts to lighten up and go dormant/brown. Additionally, if you notice that you do not need to mow the lawn as often as previously, there could be a problem with how much water it receives. 

These are signs that you may need to water your grass for more extended periods or check to ensure that your sprinklers are reaching all lawn areas. 

What Type of Sprinkler Should You Use?

The best sprinkler system is a programmable irrigation system. This allows you to set the days of the week, times of day, and length you want to water your lawn. An irrigation system provides you with the best coverage and ensures even watering. In addition, you can ensure your lawn is watered when you leave for vacation. 

If you don’t have an irrigation system, your best choice for an established rectangular lawn is an oscillating sprinkler. This will give you even coverage for a large area. 

If your lawn has lots of objects around it (sheds, a pool, decks, etc.), you will want to use an impact sprinkler. These sprinklers go around in a circle, spraying a continuous stream of water. You can set up impact sprinklers in different places around your yard to hit the grassy areas without soaking others areas of your yard.

The Best Lawn Care Service In Reno & Sparks

Are you looking to spend time on your favorite things and skip the grueling yard work?

Cory’s Lawn Service can help with that. Whether for general cleanup, weekly mowing, aeration, or fertilization and weed control, we're ready to help you get your weekend back. Our team has provided quality, expertise, and gets-done-right-the-first-time lawn care services since 2006, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. So reach out to us today for a free consultation!

What Is a Drip Irrigation System and How Does it Work?

Key Takeaways

Drip irrigation maximizes efficiency:

• Water Efficiency: Directly waters plant roots, minimizing waste.
• Flexibility: Suitable for various landscapes including raised beds and irregular areas.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Offers a more economical option compared to traditional irrigation systems.
• Disease Reduction: Lowers the risk of fungal diseases by keeping foliage dry.

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When considering different irrigation systems, one option is a drip irrigation system. A drip irrigation system leverages technological innovation and maximizes water efficiency. This method works by exposing the plant roots to a direct water supply. 

What is a drip irrigation system?

Drip irrigation uses a mechanical system attached to a water source that can be arranged throughout the area you want to water. These systems disperse water slowly and evenly, which minimizes water waste. 

There are four main types of drip irrigation systems: 

1. Soaker hoses: This system uses hoses with holes spaced evenly and spread throughout row crops, hedges, shrubs, lawns, or vegetable gardens.

2. Emitter system: This drip irrigation system is specific to your water pressure needs. It uses a series of small hoses with evenly-spaced nozzles that slowly drip water.

3. Drip tape: Drip tape is cost-efficient and easy to use, although it doesn’t last long. You can bury the tape or cover it with mulch to hide it. 

4. Micro-misting system: This device attaches to your irrigation hose system to disperse water slowly and evenly over root zones. 

Every drip irrigation system needs a water source, and the steps to install a drip irrigation system will depend on your water source. 

What are the benefits of installing a drip irrigation system?

Drip irrigation provides a consistent water supply that can cover a large area. It is popular because it can reduce the amount of water used to grow plants. It saves the grower a lot of time. In addition to these benefits, drip irrigation systems also:

• Provide flexibility and can be used in raised beds, irregularly shaped areas, and containers.

• Reduce soil erosion.

• Potential to send fertilizer directly to the roots of your plants.

• Provide a more cost-effective option than other irrigation systems.

• Give plants a direct water source and nutrients, ensuring they grow well.

• Reduce disease, especially fungal diseases, by keeping foliage dry. 

These benefits are part of the reason drip irrigation systems are becoming increasingly popular. However, you should know a few other things before installing a drip irrigation system. They can sometimes cost more and take more time to install than other irrigation methods. 

Additionally, the tubes and hoses may become damaged easily if stepped on or run over with a mower or tiller. They may also become damaged after a long time in the sun. 

Drip irrigation systems can be used in many soil types. They often provide great benefits to plants you would like to grow, such as trees and shrubs or garden plants. However, they are not recommended for turf unless you install an underground system, which could prevent the usage of core aeration and potentially damage the underground drip hose.

Drip irrigation systems also require regular maintenance to ensure they function well and continue to optimize water use. They can make your life easier and ensure your plants grow well. Learning about these systems can help you make the right decision when determining which system is best for you. 

Can I Use Lawn Fertilizer For Trees?

Key Takeaways

Lawn care insights:

• Specific Formulations: Lawn fertilizers are specifically designed for grass and may not provide the appropriate nutrient balance for trees.
• Weed and Feed Risks: Products combining fertilizer with weed killer can harm trees by mistaking them for weeds due to similar characteristics.
• Soil Nourishment: Regular lawn fertilization can benefit soil health overall, indirectly supporting tree nutrition.
• Optimal Tree Fertilizers: Trees thrive on fertilizers with a higher nitrogen content, selected based on soil testing.

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Applying lawn fertilizer can keep your yard looking healthy by encouraging the rich growth of grass. When you're surveying your lush lawn, you might start to wonder: what else can this magical fertilizer do for my yard? Can I use it on my trees or shrubs?

Stop before you apply the fertilizer! That same product that does so much good for your grass could actually harm your trees. Not all fertilizers will work for all plants, especially if weed killer is an ingredient in the fertilizer.

Instead of applying lawn fertilizer across the entire yard and garden, look for fertilizers specifically designed for trees. Read this guide to find out why you need to be careful with your fertilizers and what to do instead to keep your trees healthy.

Can I Use Lawn Fertilizer For Trees?

Lawn fertilizers are not formulated for use on trees and shouldn't be used that way. In most cases, the fertilizer just won't do any good. In the worst-case scenario, "weed and feed" fertilizers can end up harming the tree. 

Maintaining a yard can be expensive, so we may look for options to cut costs. If you have a tree that's looking a little past it's best; then you might consider fertilizing it. 

Lawn fertilizer is designed to nourish plants, so it's natural to assume it can do the same job for trees. And if you have a bottle of lawn fertilizer waiting to be used, this can seem like the simple solution you need.

Things aren't quite that simple. 

The good news is that regularly fertilizing the lawn is likely to leave the soil well nourished anyway, which will benefit the trees. Regular application of fertilizer can improve nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels in the soil needed for healthy growth. 

But if your trees are looking worse for wear, they may need a direct fertilizer application. Lawn fertilizer is unlikely to be the right choice.

Although many lawn fertilizers won't damage trees, a lot of them just won't do any good. The fertilizers are formulated using specific nutrient balances designed to benefit a specific type of plant. 

The fertilizer that nourishes your lawn won't have the same effect on your trees. It's much better to find a fertilizer designed for tree growth.

And some lawn fertilizers will actively damage the trees. 

What Is Weed And Feed?

Weed and feed is a mixture of fertilizer and weed killer. When you apply it to your lawn, the product should nourish grass while killing weeds. Completing two jobs in one, it's a popular product with many gardeners.

Many trees will have similar features to the weeds you're trying to remove. However, weed killers can struggle to differentiate between weeds and plants with similar characteristics to weeds. The herbicide will kill the weeds but damage the trees simultaneously.

Can Lawn Fertilizer Damage Trees?

A lawn fertilizer won't always damage trees, but the wrong type of fertilizer can cause serious harm. Fertilizers are formulated to do a specific job for a particular plant. Applying it broadly throughout the garden won't have the same effect.

Lawn fertilizer can often damage trees because the fertilizer is designed to kill broadleaf weeds. Weeds can choke a lawn and stop the grass from getting the nutrients it needs. If you have a weed problem, you might consider using a weed and feed.

Unfortunately, broadleaf weeds and deciduous trees have a lot in common. Because of this, the weed killer can attack the trees, mistaking them for weeds.

If you have been using weed and feed and think it's damaging your tree, try applying water across the lawn. A thorough soaking can help disperse and dilute any chemicals remaining in the soil.

Can Lawn Fertilizer Be Used For Other Plants?

Just as lawn fertilizer shouldn't be used for trees, it's best to keep it away from the rest of your plants. This is particularly true if your fertilizer is a weed and feed. The weed killer can damage these non-grasses, mistaking them for weeds. 

Fertilizers contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in different levels. Lawn fertilizers that don't have a weed-killing element can still potentially be used on other plants, but they're unlikely to have the right balance of ingredients. Using the wrong fertilizer will mean your plants aren't getting the nutrients they need.

What Is The Best Fertilizer For Trees?

The best fertilizers for trees tend to have a higher nitrogen ratio. 16-4-8, 12-4-8, or 12-6-6 are all excellent options. To find the very best fertilizer for your trees, you need to do a soil test. This can tell you how much potassium and phosphorus are present in the soil so that you can buy fertilizer accordingly.

The best time to fertilize trees is in October, before the frost sets in. If you forgot to fertilize in the fall, try fertilizing in March or April, when the frost has first cleared. 

By fertilizing in the fall, the root system has an opportunity to absorb nutrients before the coldest winter months. And there should be some fertilizer waiting in the soil for next year's growth. 

Not all trees will need fertilization, but it often helps ensure they have the best chance of new growth. 

Conclusion

You want to avoid using lawn fertilizer on your trees in most cases. The main reason is that lawn fertilizer is rarely formulated to provide trees with the correct balance of nutrients. Therefore, even regular fertilization won't aid growth.

However, some lawn fertilizers that contain weed killers could be damaging your trees. In this case, you should stop use immediately and soak the soil to dilute the chemicals.

If your trees are looking past their best, consider a nitrogen-rich fertilizer explicitly designed for trees. Your yard will soon look lush and healthy with the correct application.