Word to Wise Waterers

Credit: Terry Guscott

Improper or inefficient watering damages lawns and depletes water supplies; in high summer without rain your lawn only requires about 2.5 cm (1 in.) of water per week.

That translates to one long cool drink weekly, which will encourage deep root growth and healthy grass. If you aren’t sure how long you should be sprinkling, mark a coffee or other can on the inside at 1-cm (1⁄2-in.) intervals and set in the middle of the sprinkler’s trajectory. Two of the worst things for lawns are daily sprinkling (encourages surface rooting, waters the weeds) and watering at night – your lawn stays wet all night, which leads to disease (imagine putting on wet pajamas, then crawling into bed). The best time to water: in the morning before 10:30 a.m. Afternoon watering is lost to evaporation. Always check to be sure water doesn’t run off into streets or onto the sidewalk, watering only as fast as your lawn can absorb moisture.