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Jessica Knodel Children Learn about Proper Lawn Care in the Classroom May 18, 2007

If the information Jenny Howell (Water Wise Instructor, CCCS) was teaching in the classroom to students this past year was also taught to parents, the answer would be no… but often parents don't listen to the knowledge their children can teach them even though they could learn a lot of valuable information. More specifically, do you know how much water your lawn needs to stay green this summer, or know that you can actually sunburn your lawn doing more harm than good? I didn't either, until I took the time to learn.

Here in Williams Lake we get scorching summer heat which can take a toll on us all, including our lawns and garden plants. As a result, we need to water them to keep them healthy all season, but what is the correct amount of water to use on your lawn? The general rule of thumb when it comes to lawns is the following: under normal conditions (this includes hot weather) lawn only requires thirty minutes of watering (or one inch of water / a tuna can full), two times a week during the evening or early morning - and let me tell you why.

Grass is a thirsty plant that stores water in it's foliage, and it likes to trick humans into begging for lots of water when in fact you will be doing your grass (and community) more harm than good if you over-water it. With the aquifer in Williams Lake declining each year by 0.4 meters, over-watering your lawn would be doing a disservice to us all. To easily tell if your grass does need water, a handy trick is to step on it… if your grass bounces back up after you step on it, it does not need water. If it does need water then only water it for thirty minutes, then turn off your tap. A fun way to do this is to use a tuna can when you water your lawn. Place the tuna can on your lawn while you are watering and when it is filled up you know you have watered enough. Or to save even more time, use a sprinkler with a timer set to 30 minutes and simply walk away.

If you over-water, then to put it bluntly, you are wasting water because, after your grass absorbs the water it needs to stay green, the rest runs off to never-never land. On the other side of the coin, if you only water for a few minutes (a shallow watering) then you are encouraging your grass roots to stay closer to the surface, instead of developing a nice and deep healthy root system. If you water during the day (which by the way is not allowed this time of year as the City's sprinkling regulations are in effect until September 30, 2007) and if it is a sunny day… you will give your lawn a sunburn, which will work against you if your goal is to keep your grass green!

So, in summary: to keep your lawn nice and green this summer, and at the same time helping your beautiful city to conserve it's declining water supply follow the City's Sprinkling regulations of only watering on odd numbered days if your home number is an odd number, and even days if your house number is an even number, only between the hours of 6 pm and 10 am. More importantly put your knowledge to use, and don't over-water this year.

First published in Williams Lake Tribune
Jessica Knodel, Water Wise Director, Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society

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Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society
Unit 201, 197 2nd Ave North Williams Lake, B.C., V2G 1Z5
Phone/Fax: 250 398-7929 • ccentre@ccconserv.org • Coordinator: Marg Evans

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