We are coming into a growing season unlike none experienced in nearly 100 years – possibly forever – considering that 100 years ago almost no one had lawns.
In Northern California, water conservation requirements are often determined by the water source. Even the smallest water districts implemented water conservation requirements, and by summer’s end most districts had mandatory water-use restrictions.
As conscientious water users, we all have a responsibility to conserve as much water as possible.
Lawns are getting a lot of negative press these days, so it is important that we recognize some of the positive aspects of having a healthy stand of turf.
Most Californians live in urban and suburban areas where glass, steel, concrete, asphalt and buildings prevail. Turf grasses directly influence these environments in positive ways.
Actively growing turf grasses and other landscape plants assist by reducing: ground surface temperatures due to transpirational cooling, discomforting glare and noise, soil erosion, dust and fire danger. Turf grasses also increase infiltration of water into the soil and improves the quality of the water as it moves through the turf grass system.
Henceforth, we need to make some important decisions regarding water management and conservation that will force us into doing a better job of managing our water resources than we may have done in the past. Understanding this, there are several tools and considerations that we have at our disposal to reduce our water consumption without degrading the quality of our turfed environments.
Primary consideration should be that of the irrigation systems’ efficiency and irrigation management techniques. No irrigation system is 100 percent efficient. Therefore, the first step is to fine-tune the systems to get the most efficiency possible. This will help prevent dry spots (hot spots) in the lawns when the temperatures rise, or in the event there is a malfunction in the system. When this occurs, the first thing to determine is whether this is an irrigation problem or a soil condition problem.
Soil conditions are extremely important when considering turf management. No soil profile is uniform throughout a turfed area. There will be areas in all lawns where one section of soil will be loose and friable and other areas that are compacted or impaired by a sandy or a gravely profile that will not retain adequate moisture.
In the past most irrigation managers often resolved these issues by simply increasing the amount of water applied. We no longer have that luxury; we either fix the problems or live in an unattractive environment. There are tools that will help reduce a lawn’s water needs: aeration to reduce compaction and help get the water down into the root zone; mowing the grasses at the highest possible setting before the heat sets in to promote deep rooting, then reducing the mowing height when the heat sets in to reduce evaporation from the grass blades; and reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizers to minimize green growth while maintaining a fertilizer profile of potassium and phosphorus to protect the stem and root growth.
Another tool for efficient turf management is performing an irrigation audit. This is a process of measuring the precise amount of precipitation that each irrigation circuit provides and the percolation rate of the soil to most accurately apply the proper amount of water.
After implementing as many conservation measures as possible, there are still a few things that can be done. One, as unconformist as it sounds, is the use of paints that are formulated specifically for this application. I would seldom suggest painting an entire lawn, but touching up the worst of the “hot spots” can give the appearance of a uniformly green lawn until normal irrigation can be resumed.
Another consideration is to prioritize the aesthetic value of differing areas of turf. If one were to reduce water use by a certain percentage, one could in turn reduce the amount of turf by that same percentage, thereby being able to have a section of high profile turf that is well maintained and letting another section go dormant. In some situations this can actually have a silver lining; Many landscapes have aging lawns that are ripe for renovation.
By prioritizing the value of turfed areas, one can then prepare for a fall turf renovation, and quite often end up with a healthier turf than one had prior to the drought.
Another consideration is that some types of turf will go into what is called “drought induced dormancy”; meaning they can withstand a couple of months with a minimal amount of water, and will rebound when the normal irrigation is resumed. Be aware, the grass will still be brown, and only some grasses can do this. They need to start out as very healthy lawns.
This drought does not need to be a turf doomsday situation. Provided one has a decent irrigation system, most turf areas can be re-seeded in the fall, which often results in having an even healthier stand of grass than before the drought.
Jeff L Haynes founded the Redding-based Commercial Landscape Services in 1978, and has worked in horticulture since 1971. When not working in horticulture and landscaping, his interests include almost any outdoors activity. He likes music, and also cooks on his 2,000-pound barbecue on wheels, upon which he cooks for parties of up to 200 guests. His associations include the Shasta Farm Bureau, Shasta Land Trust, Redding Sunrise Rotary and Friends of the River. He may be reached via email at jl.haynes@att.net.
