Watering your lawn appropriately is important any time of year when grass is not dormant, but it’s especially important during the Pittsburgh Area's hot summers. Here’s a quick review of best watering practices that will help you keep your lawn strong and healthy all summer long.
If enough moisture accumulates in soil, grass roots will not be able to absorb enough oxygen from the soil to keep the plant alive. The most obvious sign that your soil is too moist is if it’s slick and wet to the touch. Other indicators that you have a problem include stems that are soft instead of firm, leaves that are turning yellow or developing brown spots or edges, and a growing number of insects hanging around to dine. Pests that are attracted to moisture often enjoy wood as much as grass and may threaten your ornamental trees and shrubs as well.
Indicators of dehydration are even more obvious. Dry, brittle blades break more easily and turn from bright to dull green lawn and ultimately grey.
A very reliable way to control the amount of water distributed across various sectors of your lawn is a sprinkler system. These are definitely an expense, but many people feel that the reliability and precision are worth the cost.
Since this is so important, contacting a Pittsburgh area lawn care professional may be recommended.
The average lawn in the Pittsburgh Area needs about one inch of water per week year-round. Our summers can be dry, and hot days mean that even rainfall can evaporate before it can sink into soil and help sustain plants. You can track rainfall with a rain gauge or even just an empty food can. If rain doesn’t add up to one inch per week, it’s up to homeowners to make up the difference. As temperatures rise, it’s always tempting to overwater.
If you water in the afternoon, any water that doesn’t quickly evaporate will intensify sunlight, producing brown spots, especially at the tips of blades. Watering at night produces the opposite problem, water that sits too long at or near the surface of the soil, encouraging fungal diseases.
Your best bet is the earlier part of the morning, before 9:00am to 10:00am.