# Summer months - No water better than some water?



## tommydearest (9 mo ago)

I've rigged up a little above ground system to water my yard. Four zones that I have to move a group of three sprinklers into and out of.

The only area I can't get much of in this is our side yard. I can use one of the sprinklers, from an adjacent zone, in half-circle instead of its normal quarter-circle configuration, and water the side yard somewhat. It would probably get about 25%-50% of what it should.

Would it be better, in the summer, to just let that area go dormant? Or, would giving it some water do anything to help? I've read about shallow watering not being good for the roots.

Thanks in advance for your insights.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

tommydearest said:


> Would it be better, in the summer, to just let that area go dormant? Or, would giving it some water do anything to help? I've read about shallow watering not being good for the roots.
> 
> Thanks in advance for your insights.


No water is better than some only if you are ok with brown/dormant grass until September or October in the name of water conservation. Not to mention, risking grass dying if the soil is poor, and/or there complicating factors like grubs, or you have any grass type other than Kentucky Bluegrass (and maybe some types of fine fescue to an extent). Most cool season grass types just don't do well long-term with heat and lack of water.

My personal rule of thumb is this: water when I need to, and always water at least 1/3 inch of water a time so it's not shallow watering (varies by soil type). It's ok if the grass doesn't look perfect. In a mixed cool season lawn, there are usually some grasses that don't do too well and start to go dormant if water is infrequent enough or the heat is intense enough. Not a problem. It'll recover from stress eventually when it cools down.

My other rule is to water before the desirable grasses start to stress a lot from lack of water...before they start going brown. Right before, in some cases. Once it starts to really brown, it means I've waited too long. That is bad and should be avoided if you're irrigating. Checking soil moisture or calculating ET or keeping a log for building future experience can all help to figure out when to water. As Allyn Hane says, know your land.

You don't have to replace 100% of the water lost every time. It's fine to ride the edge of dormancy in a lawn that doesn't get a lot of traffic. I've never noticed ill effects from doing this. I think this is what you're asking about when you say "some water". (Deficit irrigation.) Just don't want to snap back and forth between brown and green multiple times a Summer. That's bad. So is frequent, shallow watering. Pick your poison! Eventually, you'll figure out how to just barely keep it out of dormancy with minimal water (or at least slightly less than you might think). But let's not kid ourselves...cool season grass needs watering in hot, dry conditions to avoid dormancy (and a bit less water, but still a fair amount, in hot, humid conditions). No way around this.

You can probably work with 50% water depending on grass type and environment for a lawn that gets no real traffic. 25% might be a stretch. A good rain at least every couple of weeks is key.


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