Lawn Watering in Central Texas

Understanding the h2o needs of our lawns will ensure greater success with maintaining a salubrious backyard. A backyard that is properly watered tin compete aggressively with weeds and avert stress that contributes to lawn diseases.

LAWNS:  Creating a deep root system is probably the unmarried-most important goal during hot conditions.  Lawns should be watered to a depth of 6 inches during each irrigation.  To calculate the length of fourth dimension to run irrigation, collect several empty tuna fish cans or cat nutrient cans and prepare them randomly around the m.  Run the irrigation for the length of time you are used to running it.  Check the amounts of h2o nerveless in the cans and calculate the average amount.  Next, dig down in the soil to see to what depth the h2o reached.  Now you can calculate whatever adjustment that might be needed in water time.  Permit's say you collected an average of ½ inch of h2o in the cans in a 15 minute time menses, and the water penetrated the soil to a depth of 3 inches.  You lot can at present summate that it would take approximately 30 minutes, or 1 inch of h2o to penetrate to a depth of vi inches.  Sloped yards may demand this corporeality applied in ii time periods, an hour or so apart, in gild to slow downward run-off on the gradient.  Soil depth and blazon plays a roll in water percolation charge per unit.

Determining frequency of watering is the next step in maintaining a salubrious lawn.  It is important to water thoroughly, as described in a higher place, and not water once more until the lawn is budgeted the stress point.  This stress point is seen in St. Augustine grass every bit the leaves "folding", and in Bermuda and Zoysia grasses as when a footprint does non "bounce" dorsum.  This is the point at which irrigation should exist timed.  Spending a week or 2 observing your lawn and setting your irrigation accordingly volition ensure a more drought-tolerant backyard. Your lawn volition be better able to withstand the stress of water rationing, and your water bills volition reverberate this "water-wise" approach to irrigation. During a "drought year", water periodically during the winter- grass roots are still alive and require moisture.

Call up to enhance the mower height in the heat of the summertime.  The leaves will shade the soil and conserve moisture.  Effort not to remove more than 1/iii of the foliage blade each mowing.  Water in the morning (daylight) so leaves volition dry rapidly and be less prone to disease. This is peculiarly important in the spring and fall when temperatures are cool and brown patch fungus is prevalent.

Last, but non least, try to notice your irrigation system while it is running—the reason for that brown grass may get obvious!

SEEDING:  Warm season lawn grasses such equally Common Bermuda and Buffalo Grass should be seeded from approx. April 15 thru Sept. 15. Soil temperature must be warm enough for the seed to germinate in the spring, and the lawn should have fourth dimension to establish earlier cold atmospheric condition in the autumn. Seeding cool season lawn grass such as Tall Fescue (for the shade) may take place in the spring and autumn, when cool temperatures allow for germination. Overseeding with Annual or Perennial Ryegrass in the winter is Non recommended due to unhealthy competition with the warm season grasses in the spring.

SUGGESSTED LAWN MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FOR CENTRAL TEXAS

FEBRUARY:  Use pre-emergent herbicide to forestall warm flavor weed seeds from germinating. (spotted spurge, dichondra, sandburs, dallisgrass crabgrass, goosegrass, etc. Notation: This is NOT the time to fertilize!

Feb./MARCH:  Apply selective post-emergent herbicide to kill existing weeds in lawns while the lawns are still dormant. Have weeds identified for best recommendations. Use pump-type sprayer and be conscientious of drift-choose a day to spray when the air is still. Label sprayer "HERBICIDE ONLY".

NOTE: This is Non the time to fertilize!

April: Apply fertilizer to lawns after the second or tertiary mowing (of the Lawn, not the weeds!)  A soil exam every three years or so is recommended. Most lawns are most limited in Nitrogen, as it is not "bound" by clay particles in the soil. Organic forms of nitrogen are "water insoluble". Organic nitrogen requires microorganisms in the soil to suspension it down to a usable form for plants, and is non subject to leaching. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers equally they may contribute to disease problems such as take-all patch.

DO Not Utilize POST-EMERGENT WEED AND FEED PRODUCTS TO YOUR Lawn. THEY ARE BROADLEAF WEED KILLERS AND CAN HARM THE TREE AND SHRUB ROOTS GROWING IN YOUR LAWN. REMEMBER, TREE ROOTS CAN GROW i-1 1/ii TIMES THE HEIGHT OF THE TREE OUT FROM THE Trunk! THIS MEANS THAT EVEN YOUR Neighbor'Due south YARD MAY CONTAIN ROOTS FROM YOUR TREES!

SEPT./OCT: Use fertilizer to lawns to aid in root wellness for the winter. Base of operations analysis on soil tests performed every few years. Most lawns in Austin have more than enough phosphorus and potassium. Some lawns tested have fifty-fifty shown toxic levels of phosphorus! Don't assume anything-get it tested!   Organic forms of Nitrogen are better            to use in drought weather, equally it provides a tedious release of nitrogen.

Oct:  Use pre-emergent herbicide to forbid cool flavour weed seeds from germinating. (annual bluegrass, dandelion, henbit, common chickweed, thistles, etc.)   Chemic pre-emergents such as the product "Amaze", or organic products such as Corn Gluten may exist used.