As record-setting heatwaves stalk the American interior, metropolitan areas everywhere are issuing sweeping regulations and prohibitions regarding home irrigation systems. Even in areas without such restrictions, high water bills have already caused many homeowners to dramatically reduce the amount that they water their lawn. But drought conditions and high utility costs don’t have to result in a yellowed and dying lawn, Lawn Connections has some suggestions to help you save money while keeping your summer landscaping happy and healthy.

Programming Your Automatic Sprinkler Settings

Nearly all sprinkler controllers can be programmed to irrigate certain parts of the lawn at different times each week. This allows homeowners to calibrate their lawn care within restrictions that might be placed upon them by their cities/counties. For example, some cities alternate even and odd-numbered houses for lawn watering to avoid too much strain on the local aquifer.

Your summer sprinkler settings will necessarily be different than sprinkler settings throughout the rest of the year. As the climate becomes drier and hotter, you will need to water your lawn more often. Remember, short watering times leave a great deal of water trapped on the surface of the lawn where it is quickly wasted to evaporation.

Reduce Watering Volume

Pay careful attention to the total volume of water that you are using for irrigation as well. By multiplying the gallons-per-hour output of each sprinkler by the total time in use per week, you can get a general idea of how much water you are using. Our Haslet landscaping company can help you get your water use under control, either by installing more efficient sprinkler heads or by replacing some of your landscaping with drought tolerant plants and hardscape.

Differentiate Watering Zones

One important concept of lawn care is that of zones. A zone is an area of yard or garden that has plants with similar watering needs. For example, if your lawn is largely Fescue grass, but you have a patch of drought-resistant turf, you would want to calibrate your automatic sprinkler settings so the Fescue received proportionally more water.

Get Help with Maintenance This Season

Summer lawn maintenance is as much an art as a science, and no one balances environmental conservation with aesthetics like Lawn Connections. Call 817-231-0042 today for a consultation and visit.