April Tips

Proper Watering Tips

The Professional Land Care Network (PLANET) and CALCP have recognized April as Lawn Care Month. Since you will probably spend many hours laboring to keep your lawn beautiful, we want to share some positive effects that your lawn will have on the environment.

Turfgrass as a water purifier

Turfgrass helps purify water entering underground aquifers – its root mass and soil microbes act as a filter to capture and breakdown many types of pollutants. It is estimated that turfgrasses trap much of the 12 million tons of dust and dirt released annually into the U.S. atmosphere. In addition, a turf area of just 2500 square feet absorbs carbon dioxide, ozone and other pollutants, and releases enough oxygen to meet the needs of a family of four. Also, eight average front lawns have the cooling effect of about 70 tons of air conditioning. The investment of your time and money into your lawn and landscape have a profound effect on the world around us. From increasing the value of your home to filtering the air and water to creating feelings of serenity, privacy, and thoughtfulness or happiness, your lawn is a valuable part of the community and the environment.

How much water to use while sprinkling

To determine how much water your sprinkler delivers in any period of time, simply place three coffee cans (or other cans with straight sides and a flat bottom) in a row from the sprinkler to the outer edge of its spray. Then turn on the water for any measured period of time – say half an hour. When the water is turned off, measure the depth of water in each can with a ruler. With this information you can calculate how long to leave the sprinkler in one spot to deliver the desired amount of water. For example, if 1/4″ of water is delivered in one half hour, you should leave the sprinkler in place for one hour to put 1/2″ of water on your lawn. Note: If you find that the can at the outer edge of the spray has less water than the other two, you can compensate by overlapping the sprinkler patterns when the sprinkler is moved.