Use water wisely as you pray for rain

Every afternoon I watch the storm clouds build up, and every afternoon I watch them bypass my house. I am not only experiencing this personally, but I am also hearing similar tales from farmers and homeowners alike.

During these dry spells, I think of a story my mother once told me about a church that was having a service to pray for rain. Every member brought an umbrella, and sure enough as they left it started to rain.

During these dry spells using water wisely is the goal — especially when it comes to irrigating turf. When I am conducting a site visit with a homeowner or a landscaper, usually one of my first questions is, “how much are you watering?” Most of the time they tell me how many times a week and for how long.

Unfortunately this does not tell me the information I need to know. Everyone’s irrigation system is different, and you need to know the amount of water that is being applied to your lawn. An easy way to determine the output of your irrigation system is to set up tuna cans or rain gages around the irrigation area, and see how much water is collected over a period of time.

Most of our lawns do well with an inch of water per week. With that said, they also need to be watered deeply and infrequently. In most situations, a couple times a week is sufficient. Light, frequently watering can lead to a shallow root system that will cause harm to your turf. Over irrigation can lead to turf diseases.

The time of day that you water also is important. The optimal time to water is early morning or late at night. Watering during the day allows for too much water to evaporate. Watering late in the evening will cause the foliage to stay wet longer, which can lead to disease. When you water late at night or early morning, the foliage is already wet from the dew and will begin drying as soon as the run rises.

If you are one of the lucky people who is actually getting rain in the afternoon, knowing how much rain you receive is important. This can be determined through a cheap rain gauge. Knowing the amount of rain received will allow you to adjust your irrigation system so you still get the proper amount of water.

There are other management strategies to consider during periods of drought. Make sure that you are mowing at the proper height for your grass species. If you mow below the correct mowing height you can remove too much plant tissue. As I tell my hay producers, grass is needed to grow grass. You also need to mow frequently enough that you are only removing 1/3 of the blade. Removing more can cause the grass to be slow to recover. Fertilizer applications of nitrogen need to be limited during drought periods. Nitrogen encourages new growth, which is more vulnerable to drought stresses.

Hopefully soon we will see a change in the weather pattern and will start to receive more rain. Until then I know that I will be praying for rain.

This story was originally published July 10, 2016 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Use water wisely as you pray for rain."