You want your lawn to look beautiful. However, you don’t have an excess of free time, and a beautiful, lush lawn takes work. There’s planting, weeding, mowing, and of course frequent watering. However, when all these elements are put into practice, the result is a green garden, thick hedges and beautiful flower gardens.
Fortunately, there are many ways and options available to lighten your yard workload that weren’t available in years past. Today there are seeders to spread grass seed, an assortment of tools to make planting easy, and plenty of watering and watering options so you no longer have to drag out the water hose each day.
Of course, with any lawn and garden, most of the work is maintenance, especially weeding and watering! So if you’re looking for ways to save time, and often a little money, here are 6 ways you can cut down on watering time and still have a beautiful green lawn.
- Keep your lawn reasonably tall as this will help reduce evaporation. The tallest grass protects the ground. You should also talk to the department of agriculture in your area and find out which grass grows best in your region. Oftentimes, having a green lawn is as simple as having the right type planted. For example, Bermuda grass works very well in regions where there is little water, while Bluegrass requires more irrigation.
- Improve your soil using organic matter and compost. Spread the compost on your lawn and then work it into the ground with a top spreader. The use of organic materials helps the soil retain moisture longer and the aeration of the soil work promotes root growth. When your improved soil is combined with infrequent and deep watering, roots will be able to grow stronger and can draw soil moisture deeper.
- Choose fertilizers that promote a healthy lawn while keeping insects and pests at bay. However, keep in mind that you can reduce the amount of water needed if you don’t overfertilize. The best thing you can do is keep chemicals off your lawn!
- Invest in a timer irrigation system. There are many irrigation systems available today. From large systems that have a variety of valves, sprinklers and water lines to simple systems that can be installed by the owner. However, when selecting an irrigation system with a timer, make sure the timer is equipped with a sensor that will turn off the irrigation system after it starts to rain.
- Make sure your mower blades are sharp. Sharp blades will not only make the grass easier to mow, but dull blades will also expose more of the grass and lead to faster evaporation.
- Pay attention to weather reports. During drought conditions, it is okay to let the lawn sit dormant. This will not harm a healthy lawn.