Debbie Arrington of the Sacramento Bee wrote an article “Can our turf be saved?” in this week's paper. Yes, your turf can be saved and yes it can be watered.
Lawn grass is more resilient than we think. It can survive on once a week watering. It's not going to be lush but it will survive. Right now we are more interested about survival and saving water rather than lush grass.
Some tips to help you through the summer are; go an extra week between mowing, cut back on fertilizer, never water between 10am and 6pm, set your mower to the highest setting, aerate your lawn, check your sprinklers for leaks, and switch to more efficient rotary head sprinklers.
Research shows that lawn will survive with 1/3 inch of water every 3 weeks will survive. This keeps the roots active through the summer. How long can grass go with water and still come back? They can go 30 to 60 days without water. They will not look good but they will spring back when watered.
There are 2 grasses that do well in our area, Bermuda and Tall Fescue. Ok, I know you are shooting daggers at me right now about Bermuda grass. The reason this grass is very aggressive and gets into your flower beds is because it's being over watered! There are new Bermuda grass varieties available that are less aggressive and softer to the touch. Bermuda grass was the turf of the Victorian mansions of the 1800's. Think about it they did not irrigate.
Tall fescue grass is a cool season grass and gives that lush look with less water than other cool season grasses.
Be smart about watering your lawn. Don't water the sidewalk and gutter. No matter how much water concrete receives it will not grow.
Yes, you can water your lawn!