Watering Tips For Heat Waves

The days of 30+ degrees of hot sticky weather have already arrived with plenty more on the way by the looks of it. It's frustrating to watch all your hard spring gardening wither and wilt in the heat, but watering restrictions sometimes tie our hands.

Or do they? We've listed a few ideas to keep your lawn and garden looking healthy and lush without violating the impending Burlington water restrictions.

Leave The Grass

Don't mow the lawn during a heat wave. Enjoy a book, float in the pool, sit on the deck with a frosty drink - whatever you like. The heat puts a lot of stress on grass and mowing only exasperates that stress. The longer blades shelter the soil keeping it cooler and preserving moisture so raise the deck on your mower to 2.5-3" high. Mow only enough to keep the yard looking tidy.

Keep Weeding

Unfortunately, weeds don't seem to wilt in the heat like our garden plants or grass. Many weeds are more drought tolerant and take advantage of the other plant's stress to thrive and spread. But do be kind to the gardener. There's no need to be out in the hottest part of the day. Go out in the early morning where whatever dew there is might loosen the weeds from the soil. Or choose cooler times of day or when that part of the yard has shade.

Let The Lawn Go Brown

This is not a desired outcome, but if the heat wave persists and watering restrictions come in to effect, you might be wise to just let the lawn go brown to conserve its energy. When the rain returns, the plants will green up again in no time. Don't let the lawn go brown, water it, let it go brown again, water it. That constant cycle will stress the grass and eventually it will just stay brown.

With an in-ground sprinkler system, even watering once a week should be enough to prevent your lawn from going dormant. Ask our experts for a free estimate.

Consider A Rain Barrel

A lot of rain comes off the roof of a house. Positioning a rain barrel under a downspout will yield a surprising amount of water which you can use to irrigate your gardens, containers, or lawn with judicious use of a spigot and soaker hose or drip irrigation system. You can also water by hand if it's a small area you're concerned about. This way you can freely water gardens or containers as long as the water lasts. This won't violate water restrictions. You will need to ensure that the barrel is covered to prevent mosquito breeding.

Inground Sprinkler System

Inground sprinkler systems equipped with intelligent weather sensors that account for rainfall and soil conditions and recalculate the amount of water your lawn needs. You can program your sprinklers to adhere to water restrictions (only on odd or even numbered days for instance) and to only water during the early hours of the morning when plants will most efficiently use the water. Watering at root level prevents run off and evaporation as well.

DIY Irrigation

Examples of simple DIY irrigation are soaker hoses and drip irrigation. You can purchase at varying price points drip irrigation systems to water patio containers or small gardens. Soaker hoses can be purchased or with a little sweat equity made from an old garden hose by poking holes down the length of it. You can irrigate on appointed days, or connect to a rain barrel and water as needed. The slow delivery of water means the soil will absorb the water quickly to minimize evaporation.

Put Containers In The Shade

Containers should be watered by hand every day in the hottest part of the day to prevent plants from stressing. Moving containers into the shade may further alieve their stress during a heat wave.

The lawn care experts at Nutri-Lawn Burlington Irrigation can help you take the guess work out of residential and commercial irrigation and offer the major brands with professional expertise. Contact us today for your complimentary quote.