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Kansas City Lawn and Landscape Watering Guidelines

City’s Lawns and Landscapes will benefit dramatically if you know how to properly water them. There is no other homeowner controlled aspect of caring for your more critical than proper irrigation. It is also the number one mistake I see City homeowners doing

It is essential to first understand what your want in an ideal world. Most of our lawns and landscapes in City will thrive on 1.5” of water per week. This can come from either rainfall or irrigation. Ideally 1.5 inches would be applied in one long and slow . However, in City, our clay based soils have a hard time absorbing more than ½ inch of water per hour before water begins to run off the surface so we have to water very slowly – hard for sprinklers to do – or water on multiple days in smaller amounts. Counter intuitively, we want these cycles to be on successive days, not spread evenly through out the week since our goal is to water deep into the ground and not to keep the surface moist.

Knowing how much water we need is the first step – the next step is knowing how to apply that water and for how long. Most homeowners will either be applying water by manual sprinklers or an automatic irrigation system. Both require you to know how much water is applied in a given amount of time by your system.

To measure the output of your sprinkler heads…

  1. Set a container with straight sides (I use a butter dish) in the middle of the sprinklers path. a Turn on the sprinkler and monitor the amount of water in the container.
  2. Turn off the sprinkler when the amount of water in the can has reached one inch (measure with a ruler – it can be deceiving)
  3. This is how much water that sprinkler system puts out in one hour.


Now, I know most of you will not take the time to accurately measure out your sprinklers output – despite its importance. So here are some rules of thumb for determining your sprinklers output. For automatic irrigation systems – spray heads (the ones that pop up and don’t move) typically need about 45 mins to put down 1” of water and rotors (the ones that sweep back and forth) need about 2 hours. So a generic program that I suggest for my customers is designed to put down 1.5” of water spread between 3 separate cycles. I set it so that the lawn gets watered Monday, Tuesday and Friday. This is a good compromise of deeply but also making sure that the water does not run off.. I set zones with spray heads to come on for 30 mins and zones with rotors to come on for 60 mins. This is adjusted if the soil is unable to absorb this amount of water. Also, all should be done to supplement mother nature. If she gives us ½” of then you can reduce by that amount.

For those of us unlucky souls who do not have automatic irrigation it takes a much longer to water our lawns. Most of the typical impact sprinklers used if set on full circle put out about 1/3 of an inch per hour. Since they water slower they can be left on longer. I usually suggest you water twice a week for 2 hours before moving the sprinkler. If you are only using the sprinkler in a half circle then you can cut that in half

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  RSS Feed   Published on July 7th, 2008  1 Comment   Posted by Jeff Hamons  

Watering Kansas City Landscapes

Quick, look out your window! Your Kansas City lawn is inhabited by exotic residents from faraway lands. They have come from all corners of the globe and they plan on staying. They will require you to take care of them. No use complaining, after all, you not only invited them, you planted them. If you are like most homeowners in City, you have a full of exotic . Your bluegrass lawn is from Europe, your beautiful Dogwood is from Japan, your lush impatiens can trace their roots back to Africa and even City’s favorite , the yew, can trace its lineage back to Ireland. Although all these can survive City’s heat and cold, they need supplemental to thrive. each can seem overwhelming, but with a little knowledge and a few tips you can have a beautiful, well-watered .

By dividing your into four categories, you will better able to manage your needs.

Turf

Your lawn is one of the thirstiest parts of your . Most lawns require 1” of water per week. This can either come from rainfall or supplemental . The most important (and most often broken) rule of lawn is to water deeply and infrequently. City’s most proud gardeners, with their spirits blinded by the glory of our lush , begin their lawns religiously. Convincing themselves that if they can get their lawns green enough now – they will stay green through the summer. Unfortunately, every ounce of excess water they throw on the in the early is deadly. If the soil in the lawn is not allowed to dry between , the roots of the grow very shallow, encouraged by the ample water and warmth at the surface. However, City’s glorious is only the opening act to our reliable, but dastardly summers. Shallow roots are a death sentence to your lawn. By only when the top 6” of soil have dried out, you will be dispensing some tough love that will result in your lawn being able to survive the summer.

For irrigation systems in Overland Park and other cities, you should be every as little as possible but as deep as possible.  I usually start by suggesting that homeowners try to water 3/4″ for each zone on two consecutive days.  So they will water on Monday and Tuesday and not again for the rest of the week.  This long deep and infrequent si the kept to healthy all summer long.  If you cannot quite make it through the whole week without looking wilted then you can give another 3/4 inch on Friday.  To get 3/4″ of water from an irrigation system usually requires atleast 40 minutes on rotors and 20 minutes on spray heads.  However, every sytem is differnt and you should ideally measure how long it takes for yuor sytem to apply that amount of water. Use a straight sided container placed out in the middle of the sprinklers zone and turn it on and let it run until it has fille dup with 3/4″ of water.  That is how long it will need to run.

Trees/shrubs

Trees and are often ignored when it comes to because of the perception that such a large must be able to pull water from deep down in the soil. However, most of a tree’s roots are in the top 3 feet of the soil. Although trees can and will survive in City, supplementing their water just few times through the year will reward you with increased growth, enhanced beauty and bolstered resistance to disease and stress. Typically, trees will need a little extra water in the middle of the and a couple times during the hottest part of the summer. for trees should be done by observation, not a schedule. When you see signs of stress such as wilted or dropping , apply 3” of water to the area under the braches. This can be done with a well-adjusted impact sprinkler or a soaker hose. The method of application is not as important as making sure ample water is applied where and when the needs it.

Perennials

Perennials have widely varying needs based on species and type. It is important to know the specifics for your when . These can generally be learned by talking to your favorite or nursery. However, there is still a guideline that will lead you to the healthiest and most beautiful flowers – water only as much as your need and not a drop more.

Annuals

annuals is different than other types of . Annuals tend to be shallow-rooted and need ample to thrive. Annuals should be watered when they first show signs of stress. In the heat of the summer, may mean every day. If you water annuals from overhead, do so early in the day. this This allows the to dry out preventing disease from hurting your .

Water is the most important gift you can give the exotic residents of your . You will be rewarded with beautiful, healthy that can thrive year round in ’ foreign .

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  RSS Feed   Published on June 30th, 2008  No Comments   Posted by Jeff Hamons  

Kansas City Landscaping get ready for Heat

It is time for City to prepare for the heat.  forecasts are showing that City will soon be hitting 90 degrees for the first time this year.  This tends to be a  tipping point for the lawns and landscapes.

You can help your and service by taking care of your lawns needs.

New Trees or

Water new trees or when the top 3″ of the soil dries out completely.  Water the slowly and deeply allowing the entire root system to become soaked.  larger take more time.

This is very important.  You cannot give a time to water because every soil will absorb water at a different rate.  The goal is to water the entire root system and then let the entire roots ystem dry out just before adding new water.

Lawns

Lawns should be water with 1″ of water per week.  This is best done with one long slow if your soil will absorb that much water.  Most City lawns will do just fine with one long irrigation.  Depending on the type of sprinkler being used — This may require up to 1 hour of .  It is best to measure the water rather than guessing.  I use a straight sided margarine tub placed int he middle of the sprinklers path to tell.

is an essential part of maintaining your landscapes.   It does not have to be difficult but it does have to be consistent and done correctly.  If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment to this post and I would be happy o help you out.

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  RSS Feed   Published on June 25th, 2008  No Comments   Posted by Jeff Hamons  

What I learned taking care of Kansas City’s Landscaping and Lawns

The end of the season is a time for reflection. I am a man who wears many different hats – husband, teacher, and . Wearing these different hats gives me the chance to constantly learn new things and apply these to other parts of my lives.

I have found that as a in City,

Read the rest of this entry »

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  RSS Feed   Published on January 3rd, 2008  No Comments   Posted by Jeff Hamons