An important consideration to make when planning a new or upgraded landscape in Ann Arbor Michigan is if lawn irrigation will be incorporated into the design. Most homeowners love to have a nice green, well maintained lawn that ads to their home’s curb appeal. Designing a landscape that features an extensive lawn area presents a problem of how to keep it lush and green.

No one likes to pull out several hoses and sprinkling attachments, move them around the yard, and remember to turn them on and off. Homeowners in Ann Arbor that desire well maintained, green lawns often have lawn irrigation installed to avoid the hassle of using hoses manually. Irrigation will also actually save money as they are more efficient than using hoses to water.

Water Requirements for Lawns

Turf grass typically needs approximately one inch of water per week depending on the season and type of grass. A healthy lawn should be watered only when needed and not over watered. When the grass roots are allowed to stay slightly on the dry side, they are forced to grow out and down in search of water. This will create a grass plant that has a good strong root system. Over watering will cause a shallow week root system and the grass will not stay healthy. This can be easily monitored with a lawn irrigation system.

Ways to Conserve Water

  • Plant drought tolerant sod varieties
  • Mow the lawn high to shade the roots and save on evaporation
  • Apply fertilizer before a rain
  • Remove thatch often to improve water penetration, prevent runoff
  • Use rain sensors on irrigation to turn off the system when there is rain

When to Water a Lawn

Most Ann Arbor Michigan homeowners probably do not realize that a lawn needs to be watered at a specific time of day for best results. Watering the lawn early in the morning is always recommended. There will be less wind in the morning, which speeds evaporation, and more water will reach the root zone of the lawn. Setting a lawn irrigation system to operate from 4-9am is advised. Watering at night is not advised as it will keep the grass wet during the night and will encourage fungal growth. Afternoon watering should also be avoided to prevent the sun from drying up the water before the grass can make use of it. On a very hot and sunny day, most of the water will be lost to evaporation.

There are many reasons to have a professional landscape service install lawn irrigation for a homeowner in Ann Arbor Michigan. The irrigation company will survey the property to determine what the watering requirements are for each area of the yard. They will then design a well laid out design that will efficiently water all areas of the lawn and landscape. Once installed and set-up properly the homeowner can rest assured that the lawn and garden will be watered properly and be more cost effective as there will be less water wasted.