Drought Watering Guide

Improved vigor of turf grass helps lawns survive and look good throughout the hottest parts of summer, even when watering is reduced. A healthy lawn assures every homeowner that his/her biggest investment (the home) is secure.

Methods to increase vigor and reduce competition, hand-in-hand with proper watering techniques, will improve the drought-tolerance of any type of turf.

Reducing competition:

• Your lawn grass will grow stronger when there are no other plants competing with it for water, sunlight, or nutrients.
• To reduce competition:
• Increase mowing height – longer, taller grass blades will shade the thatch/soil surface. This shades out weeds, decreases weed germination and competition. Only mow 1/3 or less of the blade length per mowing.
• Use a mulching mower - a thin to medium layer of thatch will help control weed seed germination and reduce water loss from the soil by evaporation.
• Use a pre-emergent broadleaf weed killer in spring - especially in spots where the grass is thin or bare soil is exposed, such as worn spots or curb edges.  Weed control recommendations are available at: 

http://extension.usu.edu/files/gardpubs/weedcont.htm

To reduce competition between lawn grass and other plants, keep grass away from shrubs and trees root areas.  Mulch these areas with 4 to 6 inches deep wood chips, pine bark, or other organic mulch.

Fertilize in split applications:

• The annual recommended rate of nitrogen fertilizer per 1000 square feet area in a cool season lawn is 2 to 5 pounds.
• Let's suppose we decide to use the lower end of the recommendation for our  Kentucky bluegrass lawn.
• Kentucky bluegrass and other lawn types prefer their fertilizer to be applied several times throughout the growing season.  So, the recommended ANNUAL fertilizer rate is divided or 'split' into however many applications you intend to make. 

Example: You want to apply ammonium sulfate fertilizer 3 times during the season.
Solution: 2 lbs divided by 3 applications = 2/3 lbs per 1000 sq. ft. per application.

Remember that this is ACTUAL nitrogen, so you must account for the fact that no fertilizer is 100% nitrogen.  Ammonium sulfate, commonly recommended, is only 21% nitrogen, so divide 2/3 (0.66) lbs by 21%.

Result: You should apply 3.17 lbs ammonium sulfate per 1000 sq. ft. 3 times per season, once in May, once in September, and once in November.