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3 reasons you don't need to irrigate in October

3 reasons you don't need to irrigate in October

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Most water entities in northern Utah are turning off secondary water services Oct. 1. This is because reservoir levels are alarmingly low after the hotter and drier than usual summer and the minimal snowpack we received last winter.

Utah residents enjoy having green lawns and lush landscapes. From a plant health point of view, there is no need to water in October.

Here are three reasons why.

The weather is typically cooler and wetter

On an average year, turf needs to be watered only a couple of times during October and the increased amount of rain that normally comes in October usually takes care of it. As the weather cools and gets wetter, grass doesn't typically need any additional water above what it receives from the sky. Just make sure that if you are fertilizing this fall you do so before water is turned off so you can water it in, or watch the weather and put it down before a rainstorm.

Make sure to check all of your trees, shrubs, and perennials before water is turned off. If the soil is dry, irrigate everything well so that they can go into winter well hydrated.

Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Grass is 'cool season' and doesn’t need as much water to stay green

Ninety percent of grass in Northern Utah is cool-season grass. This means it grows better on the tail ends of the season, spring and fall, when it’s not so blisteringly hot. When it gets hot need to irrigate more frequently to keep it from going dormant (usually mistaken for grass death). We don’t need to add that extra water when it’s cooler.

Let grass stress a bit to encourage deep roots

Did you know it's possible to maintain healthy, green lawns while only watering once or twice a week, even during the hottest parts of the year. This is possible by watering infrequently. Allowing as much time as possible to pass in between watering will encourage roots to dig deep into the ground to find water. And the deeper we dig, the more moisture we find in the soil.

Lawns that are used to being watered only once or twice a week have deep root systems. Those that receive water every day — or even every other day — have shallow roots that quickly dry out when the weather is hot. Lawns that are watered too often have shallow roots that quickly dry out when the weather is hot. A shallow rooted lawn will struggle if you don’t water often or if there are water restrictions during dry years like this one.

It can be difficult to encourage deep roots during the hot part of the year if grass roots are shallow. But encouraging deep roots when it cools off is easier because the grass doesn’t need nearly as much water to keep it green. Dialing back your watering in September, then cutting it off completely in October will encourage your grass roots to grow deep, making it more water efficient next summer when it’s hot.

Unless you are trying to establish new grass, there is no reason to irrigate every day, even in July and August. And in the fall, with normal precipitation, there is really no reason to irrigate at all. Nature does it for us.

Shutterstock
Shutterstock

If we all conserve where we can, together we can make a huge difference. With the secondary water being shut off early, it provides an opportunity for all yards to get a little tougher. In the event that rain simply does not come, don’t worry, it will stress a bit, go dormant, and green up again when water is available in the spring.

Related topics

Brandview
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District

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