Do you want to be sure you are following the best Amarillo watering recommendations?
Your Amarillo lawn needs a little extra attention this season.
Just a note to help me prep and care for your yards for this coming season to keep them as healthy and beautiful as possible.
We are entering a neutral phase at the moment they think, and possibly heading back to an El Nino in late Spring, so I would rather the recommendations be a little neutral also for a while until one or the other shows up. Then I can update at that time. If this weather pattern continues towards La Nina, we could see less rain. It will be extremely beneficial to not ignore the Amarillo watering recommendations and see your lawn get behind and play catch up all Summer.
This year with some planning, we should be able to stay ahead hopefully. A few simple things will help accomplish this. Keeping your subsoil moist and keeping the grass and tree roots in the subsoil are the keys. The roots from grass, trees, and bedding will follow the water. If you water for short periods of time, the water has no time to soak in, thus staying on the topsoil. The roots in turn do the same. Then on extremely hot days or periods of time, the sun just bakes the roots. Causing the plants to stress, brown and possibly die. Deeper root systems usually don’t have this problem. You also loose most of your moisture in the topsoil to sun and wind evaporation.
Start watering at least twice a week in the beginning of the season. I recommend 1 hour per section per week during the Spring. Either 3-20 minute settings or 2-30 minute settings. This will get the moisture level in the subsoil at an acceptable level to begin the season, instead of battling the sun and wind to get it there later.
Water each section for a minimum of 25-30 minutes per watering. Soaking will keep the subsoil at the acceptable level. And keep the roots deeper.
Mid June/July add a third watering. A 20-25 minute between the 30 min watering days will probably suffice.
Please watch your lawns. These are just general suggestions. Each yard is different. If you see your lawn stressing, then adjust the watering up in 5 minute intervals on the stressing section or add another watering day. Yards that have no shade, or are unprotected or on the edge of town where the wind is worse may need to do this. The wind is as bad on your yard as a hair dryer is on your head.
Draws out all the moisture.
Hot weather will also bring to light any weak spots in your sprinkler systems. Heads may need replacing.
Water at night. I recommend 1:00am-5:00am, Usually the wind has died down, and evaporation won’t be a factor.
Don’t turn off your water just because it rained once. With less rainfall looming again, it’s just a bonus for your lawn, and many times the water is forgotten and not turned back on.
Please remember, most of you have Fescue. This is a cool weather grass, and stresses easily in hot weather. This qualifies you for 3 days a week watering by the City’s guidelines (2 times a week for warm weather grasses, and 3 times a week for cool weather grasses). Remember also, your sprinkler systems were not designed to be the primary source of water, but to supplement the annual rainfall. If we are in drought conditions sometimes the system just can’t physically keep up.
It’s my goal to have the yards extra healthy by June, because in July and August we will just be in survival mode. These watering recommendations will also keep you within the parameters and guidelines established by the City if restrictions are encouraged or imposed and honestly use less water in the long run thus hopefully saving you money in a water bill and replacing grass, trees and bedding plants.
