KASL WESTON COUNTY EXTENSION REPORT BILL TAYLOR 7/17/12 YOUR SPRINKLER SYSTEM IS KILLING YOUR LAWN!

Your sprinkler system is killing your lawn!

Now that I have your attention, let me explain. The installation of automatic sprinkler systems ruins many lawns. Not because sprinkler systems are inherently bad for lawns, but because they are not used properly.

Most homeowners install sprinkler systems so they can ignore the watering chore. Sprinkler systems, besides reducing the work load, can increase efficiency and reduce total water usage if they are used properly. However, in most cases they are not used properly.

First, lets examine how a lawn needs its water supply. The turf root system normally runs six to eight inches deep. This is the layer that needs to be watered for good lawn health and performance. The watering system needs to provide enough water to wet the soil down to a depth of eight inches. With a hose sprinkler, this may take one, two, or three hours, depending on the soil. The only way to tell is to use a probe or shovel and experiment in your lawn until you know how long it takes to wet your soil that deep.

When your soil is wetted to eight inches in depth on a regular basis, your turf roots will extend to full length and use their entire surface to keep your grass healthy. When the soil is only wetted in the surface layer, the roots will progress no further and the turf will be shallowrooted and weak. When roots are shallow and die, and are replaced continually, a condition called thatch develops, which is an impermeable layer of dead roots, like felt, that will not let water through to the root system. I have seen thatch layers an inch thick under the crown level of the grass, preventing most water from soaking through. So, by this time, not only is the root system shallow, but it is getting very little water due to the thatch. The turf system gets weaker and less healthy, weeds and bare soil invade, insects attack, and the lawn is virtually lost.

The only way to deal with thatch once it becomes a major problem is with a thatch cutter, a machine which makes horizontal cuts in the lawn surface to allow moisture and nutrients to penetrate. Lighter thatch can be penetrated by a core aerator.

So, if you are supposed to soak the soil under your lawn six to eight inches deep, how often does it need to be done? Well, the answer is, It depends. It depends on the weather and the type of soil. You need to rewater just before your lawn goes into moisture stress the point where it is not able to draw enough water from the soil to keep its cells strong and tight. You can tell when the grass goes into moisture stress observing when it changes from green to bluegreen and when foot prints dont spring back up after walking on it. If it takes five days, with the present weather and your type of soil, for your grass to reach the stress point, then water again in four days.

The rule is: WATER DEEP AND SELDOM.

Now, lets examine how youre killing your lawn with your sprinkler system. First you set it to water every day, because you dont want to go to the effort of going out every day and examining the condition of your grass and determining whether it is near moisture stress. And, because youre watering every day, you set it to water only a few minutes. Consequently, you are only wetting the soil a fraction of an inch below the surface. In fact, you may not be wetting the soil at all you may not be getting the water any lower than the crown of the grass plants. So, where are your roots going to go for water? To the top inch of soil, and perhaps only the top fraction.

Now youve set yourself the perfect conditions for a weak, shallow rooted lawn that will start forming more and more thatch each year. In ten years you will be calling me to ask why your lawn is thin, brown, and weed infested, no matter how much fertilizer and weed killer you put on.

Maintenance tips for a healthy lawn include: Water seldom and deeply. Aerate every year. Fertilize with nitrogen as needed Mow to a height of 2 to 3 inches

Do not use weed-and-feed type fertilizers spot treat weeds with herbicide as needed

Bill Taylor Weston County Extension Office The University of Wyoming is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.