Achieving and maintaining a healthy green lawn in Central Florida involves many challenges – not the least of which is watering it. Learning irrigation best practices can mean the difference between a lawn that’s susceptible to weeds, fungi, diseases and pest activity, and one that’s thriving and attractive. Here are the three key things to know – and practice!

Avoid Overwatering Your Lawn

Overwatering your lawn is as detrimental to its health as underwatering. Overwatering grass leads to a shallow root system, as the roots don’t need to extend deep in the soil to find water. This reduces its ability to tolerate stress – such as drought and foot traffic. In addition, as Natural Green Lawn Spraying points out, overwatering can promote fungus and weed growth.

Often, homeowners are unaware that an irrigation system should be adjusted seasonally, and failure to adjust for seasonal changes will usually lead to overwatering. This can easily happen during Florida’s rainy season, which generally runs from late May through mid-October – although the almost daily mid-afternoon thunderstorms we associate with summer tend to occur June through August. Pay attention to weather reports, and avoid watering 24 hours before a predicted rain.

However, even with daily rain, thunderstorms usually pass after a half hour. Given Central Florida’s sandy soil and afternoon summer temperatures hitting triple digits, water can be absorbed quickly – which makes trying to determine whether your lawn needs watering trickier. Instead of following a strict watering schedule that may be counterproductive, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gardening Solutions recommends “listening” to your lawn to tell you when it’s thirsty. Look for at least one of these three signs:

• Folded leaf blades.
• Blue-gray color.
• Footprints are visible in the grass (which indicates the grass isn’t springing back).

A good rule of thumb for watering is once or twice a week during the summer months, and once every two to three weeks over the winter. According to Duda Sod, an average Florida lawn requires about three-fourths of an inch of water per watering session.

Also according to Duda Sod, overwatering can lead to several issues, including the following:

Dry patches – Although you might think of this as a symptom of underwatering, dry, brown patches can also be a sign of overwatering. Because it can be difficult to distinguish the culprit, don’t let this be your only criteria for determining watering needs.

High weed growth – When your lawn is getting too much water, weeds can proliferate rapidly. If you notice that you are having to pull up more weeds than usual, this could be a sign of overwatering.

Fungus growth – Fungus remains dormant in the soil until activated by an abundance of water. When active, fungus takes its nourishment from the grass and can cause your lawn to turn yellow with stunted growth. Large patches of the lawn can die off and will need to be replaced. Lawn fungus is very hard to get rid of once it has become established, so prevention is the key.

Irrigation runoff – Take a look at the areas around the edges of your lawn immediately after watering. Runoff coming from your lawn is a sure sign that it is getting too much water. Your lawn should be able to absorb all of the water you provide at each session, so shorten your watering periods to minimize runoff.

Soil compaction – In lawns that get too much water, the underlying soil often becomes compacted due to the excess moisture. To grow strong, healthy roots and gain access to air and sunlight, you’ll need to aerate the soil, loosening it up so the roots can spread. Our blog post – “Why You Should Aerate Your Lawn” – covers this topic in detail.

In addition, be aware of watering restrictions your county or municipality may have. Restrictions are common during summer, and may limit residential watering to certain days of the week and times of day. Check your community’s website if you aren’t sure, as you may be subject to a fine if you don’t follow restriction rules.

Know Your Landscape’s Irrigation Needs

Your turfgrass variety, soil composition and location of landscape plants all affect your yard’s irrigation needs. As our blog post – “How to Water Your Central Florida Lawn” – points out, Central Florida’s soil is primarily sandy. For this reason, our region’s soil doesn’t hold water for long, and dries out faster – therefore requiring more frequent watering. However, soils in urban areas are compacted, which does not allow water to penetrate, and may result in waterlogged conditions or standing water. City dwellers should keep this in mind.

Your turfgrass variety will also affect the frequency of watering. Popular St. Augustine grass typically requires irrigation every four to five days without rain during summer. Zoysia grass performs best when it receives approximately 1″ of water per week. If one or more inches of rainfall occurs in a week, additional irrigation isn’t necessary.

Moreover, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions notes it’s important to remember that a sprinkler zone may be irrigating not only turf but landscape plants, as well. These plants may have different irrigation requirements and could be over- or under-watered if your irrigation strategy is based solely on the needs of your turfgrass. A properly designed irrigation system will zone turf and landscape plants separately.

Choose the Right Type of Irrigation System for Your Lawn

In-ground irrigation systems with a central controller are the most common for Central Florida residential yards. Although DIY kits are available, this is best done by a licensed professional. A professional installer can establish zones for different areas of your yard, as well as prevent runoff that wastes water and money. An irrigation company will also perform maintenance and check the system to ensure it’s operating efficiently.

Those who don’t want the expense of a professionally installed system – or those with small yards – can choose from the following types of sprinklers:

Hose-end sprinkler – As its name implies, this sprinkler type connects to the end of a garden hose, and can be moved to any area of the lawn. However, it requires moving at regular intervals to ensure the lawn receives an adequate amount of water.

Oscillating sprinkler – This sprinkler type delivers water in a back-and-forth, fan-shaped pattern, typically using a narrow tube with nozzles. This motion allows it to water a rectangular or square area evenly. The sprinkler’s arm oscillates (moves back and forth) to distribute water across the designated area.

The Take-Home Message

Irrigating your Central Florida lawn to keep it at its lush, green best isn’t complicated when you know what to do. Neither is lawn maintenance, when you call us! Our experienced team of professionals at Daniel’s Lawn Service & Pressure Washing specializes in lawn maintenance – as well as landscaping, landscape design, pressure washing, and more. Visit our website to learn about our services and contact us so we can do the work and you can do the enjoying!