The season is well underway and our water situation is currently in great shape. Of course being in Colorado, things can change quickly and water is always a concern. 2013 is becoming far less of a concern though.
Remember, the large difference is that we use non-potable water, which is not treated for human consumption and is not restricted like potable water. All summer, Denver Water and other local providers have put restrictions in place on potable water use for your home lawns. The reason for this is because at the beginning of the season the reservoirs that hold all of the treated water were not full. Since the filling season (winter) was over, to be on the safe side the ban stayed in place. Denver Water did relax the ban to allow watering for three days which has been a relief for many lawns.
In stretches of 90+ heat your bluegrass does not look so green anymore when only watering twice a week. But you can keep it alive with two deep irrigation cycles a week.
The following steps are important to any homeowner in order to keep their lawn thriving during a drought:
1. Keep a close eye on your irrigation system. Be sure all of the heads are working properly.
2. Raising the height of cut on your lawn improves things drastically. The taller leaf blades shade the crown of the plant and the soil to reduce heat stress.
3. Timely fertilizer applications are also key. Don't just apply something high in nitrogen. Nitrogen pushes plant growth and without sufficient water for the plant to keep up you can actually do more harm than good. Higher amounts of potassium is helpful as it helps fighting stress in the plant. There is some good dried poultry waste out there as well that can be used as a great source of nutrients. DPW feeds the soil and provides many nutrients to feed the microbes in the soil. The microbes break down nutrients and make them available to the plant. DPW does have a distinct smell, but after a good irrigation cycle, that smell disappears. You can also get a real nice long term response from a true organic material.
4. Aerify, you can never poke enough holes in the ground. The soil needs oxygen. With higher amounts of clay in the soil in Denver, compaction issues are plentiful. Aerification also helps breaks up thatch in the soil. If you can rake up and remove the cores, that always helps. If not, just mulch them up with your mower and they will break down.
5. Compost. This is the largest trend going right now. As far as I am concerned it should be a staple to any turf management program. You just can not find a better source of nutrients to feed your soil. You can put as little or as much as you would like.
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