How to Make My Grass Less Dependent on Water

When high summer temperatures and drought trigger watering restrictions, lawns are often the first casualty. With a little preparation, your lawn can weather the weather and still remain a healthy, cool green. The process of training your lawn to be less dependent on water takes time, however. Start this season and reap the future benefits.

Empty can
Core aerator (if necessary)

Instructions

- 1
  
  Ask your local extension for lawn suggestions.
  
  Choose low-water grasses, such as buffalograss, bermudagrass or tall fescues, rather than thirsty bluegrasses when renovating or seeding a new lawn. Till and amend compacted soil before planting to encourage deep root growth.
- 2
  
  Taller grass requires less water.
  
  Mow high. In general, a lawn with consistently taller blades produces deeper roots. A strong, deep root system reaches into moist soil, while shallow roots remain near the soil's dry surface. Set your mower at 1 to 1-1/2 inches for low-growing bermudagrass, and 2-1/2 to 3 inches for fescue or bluegrass.
- 3
  Water deeply and less often. Watering your lawn for a few minutes every other day may keep your lawn green, but it discourages deep root growth. When dry conditions hit, the roots are left high and dry, and you're left with a brown lawn. Give the lawn 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water per week, depending on the species. Set an empty can on the lawn to measure your sprinkler's output. If you have dense, clay soil, break the watering into two shorter sessions.
- 4
  
  Aerate dead or dying areas of the lawn, especially in high-traffic areas.
  
  Aerate your lawn if necessary. Lawns become compacted over time, and water can't easily penetrate compacted soil. Core aeration removes plugs of soil, relieving the compaction and allowing roots room to grow. Aerate warm-season grasses in midsummer. Cool-season grasses prefer a late summer or early fall aeration.
- 5
  Limit your fertilizer use. Highly fertilized lawns may seem green and lush, but lawn fertilizers are nitrogen-heavy. Nitrogen pushes blade growth, which increases the lawn's water demands. Not only does this drive up your water bill, but the rapidly-growing lawn demands you spend more of your weekend behind the lawn mower. Fertilize once in spring, just after the lawn begins showing new growth, and once in early fall.
- 6
  
  A misaligned sprinkler delivers too much or too little water.
  
  Check your sprinklers. It's easy for an automatic sprinkler system to get out-of-whack; a misplaced kick or a roving mower can knock a sprinkler head out of alignment. Watch your lawn for misaligned or sidewalk-watering sprinklers and adjust them as necessary.

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Lawn Maintenance