Less Water, More Money

 

            Conservation is one of the best solutions to reduce your water bills during our hot and usually dry Texas summers. By watering, fertilizing and mowing your lawn properly, you can reduce your water bill by as much as 30 percent. Rather than going to extreme measures and not watering the lawn, try another option that will still give the desired result and save water. Simply, water the right way and at the right time. 

            What can a homeowner do to reduce water bills this summer?  The first thing is to identify the symptoms of drought stress.  Look for discoloration and wilting.  If leaves roll up in the late afternoon and imprints of footprints remain after walking across the lawn, then water within the next 24 hours.

Most homeowners water incorrectly by either watering too little too often or by watering too much at one time.  Watering small amounts with more frequency causes grass to develop shallow roots.  On the other hand, excessive watering will cause run off.  Regardless, both methods can increase susceptibility to insects, fungus and disease.  On another note, use irrigation devices that produce large drops or heavy streams of water. Fine mists and small drops of water have a greater chance of evaporating and not making their way down into the soil. Learning how to identify water stress symptoms and applying the appropriate amount will prolong the life of the lawn and decrease maintenance costs. 

So, how much water do I apply and for how long do I set the timer?  Research shows that turf requires 1 inch of water per week to sustain healthy vigorous growth. With that said, if it rains 2 inches on any given day, we technically should not have to water for 2 weeks.  You notice I said “technically”.  There are other factors that influence the amount of water retained in the soil.  These include evaporation, soil type and plant water-use requirements just to name a few and not get too technical.  Now back to the initial question.  In heavy clay soils, irrigating for 15 to 20 minutes or less may be necessary to prevent excessive run off.  An easy way to determine how long you will need to water is to place a couple of coffee cans or a rain gauge in the yard and measure how much water is accumulated in a predetermined amount of time.  This will allow you to gauge how long to water each time you irrigate.  Established grasses with good root systems should be able to survive two or three days between water events.  One good tool to use is the “Cycle-Soak” method.  This is a great strategy that allows water to penetrate further down into the soil column.  For a simple explanation, let’s say you are watering twice a week and use the Cycle-Soak method.  After performing an irrigation audit, you determine that it takes 10 minutes to apply ¼ inch of water.  So, we can deduce that we will have to water the grass for 20 minutes twice a week.  The Cycle-Soak method would be done by applying irrigation for 10 minutes and then turning off the water for a period of time and then turning it back on for another ten minutes to complete the second cycle.  The two water cycles will add up to ½ inch of water for one day of watering.  The second water event of the week will be done the same way and will add up to 1 inch of water per week.  By doing this, you should be able to increase your conservation effort without sacrificing your lawn.

            Cutting back on lawn fertilization can also reduce water consumption.  Applying fertilizer in the spring and fall will generally keep your lawn healthy and attractive.  Fertilizing during the summer, especially with high nitrogen fertilizer, will green-up your lawn, but will also make it grow faster, use more water and require additional mowing.

            Mowing less often and cutting your grass at taller heights will also help keep your lawn in better shape during hot, dry weather.  St. Augustine grass does well when mowed at two to three inches in height, and Bermuda grass can be cut at one and one half to two inches in height.  Proper lawn maintenance combined with a good watering program will result in a healthy, attractive lawn while conserving water.