Healthy Yard and Environment Tip: April
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Don't start watering too early
Delay watering your lawn in April and May.
- Mother Nature tends to provide enough free irrigation throughout the spring.
- Waiting to water encourages grass roots to grow deeper, creating a more drought resistant, healthy lawn.
- If you must water, adjust sprinklers to eliminate runoff into the storm drains.
More Watering Tips:
- Water in the Morning
If you are going to water, the best time to do so is in early morning between 4 and 10 a.m. At this time of day winds are calmer and more water will make it to the soil instead of evaporating.
- Water Deeply
When summer arrives, water deep and infrequently. Cool season lawns like Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue need about 1 to 1 ½ inches of water per week. Use a screwdriver or probe to test your lawn. If it goes in easily to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, there is plenty of moisture in the soil. If it’s a struggle to push it in, you probably need to give your lawn more water.
- Water Only the Grass
Adjust your sprinklers so they are only watering the lawn, not the pavement. Not only will this prevent water from being wasted, but prevent fertilizers and other chemicals from flowing into the stormwater system, which does not get treated before heading to streams and lakes.
- Try a Rain Barrel
Rain barrels are a great way to reduce the amount of city water you use. During the summer months it is estimated that nearly 40 percent of household water is used for lawn and garden maintenance. A rain barrel collects water and stores it for those times that you need it most — during the dry summer months.
- Help do your part: Hold off watering your lawn until summer.
Other K-State Resources
- Maintaining Good Lawns with Less Water
- Watering Established Lawns
- Watering New Lawns
- Watering Your Lawn
Kansas Healthy Yards and Communities
- Kansas Healthy Yards Self-Assessment (Find out how you are doing in your landscape)
- Kansas Healthy Yards Videos
Maintaining a Healthy Yard and Environment
Here are some specific tips you can follow each month to make sure your yard is a healthy yard and environment.