Some Quick Grass Watering Advice (Denver, Parker: how much, big home, university)

[skins_fan82]

Howdy Denver folks Quick question about watering the grass.

I live in Parker, CO, and this is my first summer in our house, and in the state. We have Kentucky Blue Grass in the front and backyard, with sprinkler systems installed for both.

Recently the grass has been getting some dry spots, and some of it seems to be dying. I'm new to the whole yard thing maintenance thing and I'm not sure how often and for how long I should be watering them. I currently water our yard every other day, for 7 minutes. But its obviously not enough to keep the grass healthy as I continue to get dry patches. I've gone over the lawn with grass feeder and fertilizer, and I spray it once a month with that hose attachment stuff to keep weeds out.

People have suggested contacting a local university's ecology department or something liek that, but I'd figure I ask the good folks here first. Thanks in advance for any help.

[davebarnes]

For my yard: 3 days a week, 20 min each time.

[MileHiGolfer]

Hard to say without knowing what type of sprinklers you have, but 7 minutes every other day almost surely isn't enough. Mine run 30 minutes every other day, but they're the low-flow type. You might also try using Revive, and make sure to aerate at least once a year.

All that said, the sun is pretty intense here in the summer, and it's hard to keep a lawn from getting cooked without using a ton of water.

[reed303]

7 minutes does sound too little. Maybe OK for some sprinkler zones, others may need more time. Also , do these spots get full sun all day, or reflected heat from walls or windows ?? Is this a new lawn, or established ??
Are sprinklers hitting these spots properly ??

[2bindenver]

Also run the sprinkler system before dawn.

[davidv]

The best way to figure things out is to find out how much water is hitting your dry spots. Get a watering measuring cup from a garden center. It looks like a cup with a spike on the bottom and measurements on the inside to determine how many inches of water the lawn is getting.

From there you can determine whether it is a watering issue, eg. are the dry spots in areas not reached by sprinklers, or something else. it is possible there is an animal that you never see that could be making the spots. Your lawn could also have a fungus or insect problem.

For those of you above, measuring your water is a good idea too. From my experience, one hour a week seems excessive, your lawn only needs about 1.5 inches of water per week.

[livecontent]

The best way to solve the problem with blue grass that needs much water is to pull it out. Design your yard with an ecological sustaining landscape with native grasses, plants, mulches and decorative rock. I cannot understand how people can continue to plant water sucking landscape in a semi-arid climate and then complain about water bills. You see it much with people who want to bring their ideas from the east where rainfall is abundant.

There is nothing wrong with a little brown in your lawn; it does not have to always be eye shocking dark green. You do not have to be obsessive about your lawns; grasses do go into dormancy under stress and in colder weather. I believe it it dies and cannot survive the natural environment--then it does not belong here. You do not have to make all changes, all at once. If you see an area that is not growing well, then pull it out and slowly turn your yard into something easily sustainable.

I am from New York and I have learned a new way of living. I have a house and I have no water sucking non-native grasses to water. My water bill for the last two month billing was $28.00 and that includes all sewage charges. You better think much better because you are living in Parker and Douglas County which is fast sucking all the water from the aquifers, which it heavily depends. Eventually all the big homes and their ostentatious landscapes are going to have very little water and what you get will be extremely expensive. Also, we are in a severe drought that may not be just a periodic event but warnings of much warmer days to come.

Also, you then can lessen the use of all the poisons that you are putting around your house like fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides etc. It always makes me laugh when people demand all this organic products and they go home surrounding by the opposite and sit in their homes with auto scented air sprays. These people prance around preaching and telling all of us to be more sensitive to the environment, yet they poison themselves and their neighbors with runoff and the miasma of noxious sprays. Shall, I also add all the pollution you add to the air from those gasoline mowers---that all can be justified because we drive a Prius and eat healthy organic.

Also, if you plant smart, you will spend less time maintaining your landscape and have more time to enjoy Colorado.

Livecontent

[skins_fan82]

Originally Posted by reed303

7 minutes does sound too little. Maybe OK for some sprinkler zones, others may need more time. Also , do these spots get full sun all day, or reflected heat from walls or windows ?? Is this a new lawn, or established ??
Are sprinklers hitting these spots properly ??

the back of our house faces south, and the backyard gets POUNDED by direct sunlight all day.

Thanks for the advice Reed and everybody else, I'll definitely try upping the sprinkler run times to about 20 minutes and see what that does.

I'll check back in a few weeks with some results.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Skins_fan82, don't forget about the advise to aerate your lawn. Our clay soils get really hard, and you need to poke holes in the grass to get the water down to the roots. Also consider using Revive, which helps the grass absorb the water.

[kooks35]

You're better off with fewer, longer soaks. Its best to try to put an inch down once or twice a week (early morning) as it promotes deeper root growth. The shorter the watering the higher up the roots will be making your lawn more likely to burn out.

I'd also look at overseeding with a type of grass meant for dryer climates. Kentucky Bluegrass is designed for cool climates and needs a lot of water.