Watering St Augustine Grass
Your St Augustine lawn will account for 80% of your water usage from April through October. If you are not monitoring your irrigation system, you could be wasting up to 50 % of the water being dispersed. It takes a lot of water to maintain a lush, green lawn that we just water, water and water.
When was the last time you checked the settings on your irrigation system controls? Maintaining healthy, attractive lawns and landscape areas requires much less water than you think. You can easily get by on one or two irrigation days per week, and maybe none if you have adequate rainfall. This will help the turf grow deep roots, and not be as “thirsty” during dry periods.
You should set the system to complete the watering cycles before 4 AM, which cuts down on evaporation loss and doesn’t interfere with weekday morning “water rush hours,” when families need water for starting the day.
Watering trees and shrubs
While you are monitoring and adjusting your lawn irrigation, pay special attention to shrubs and trees. This high impact greenery is the foundation of our landscape. Trees and shrubs need watering that reaches the roots, where moisture is most effective. Your automatic sprinkler system may not provide what is needed, so consider investing in a soaker hose and timer. This hose should be no longer than 100 feet, and should wind between your shrubs and trees. Attach the timer to the closest outdoor faucet and connect the two with your garden hose. Turn it on to seeping, not spraying and leave it on until an 8-inch screwdriver goes easily into the earth to a depth of 6-8 inches where the water has been applied. This “test” will help you determine how long to leave it on. You can program your timer to do this deep watering once a week.
For trees older than 3 years that are not planted alone, use the garden hose about once a week. Placing the hose midway between the trunk and the edge of the canopy and roots, water slowly and deeply, avoiding any runoff. Move the hose around the tree until every quadrant has been soaked. Do this about once a month. It is very important that you pay attention to your trees, once you notice that they are looking a little dry, they are probably already dead due to lack of water.
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