Watering your lawn is essential if you want green, lush grass, but too much of a good thing is actually bad for your yard. Overwatering leads to a variety of problems and can even make your yard look worse than if you didn’t bother to water it in the first place.
The only problem is that signs of overwatering aren’t always immediately apparent to the untrained eye. Luckily, we’re here to help! Continue reading this post from a sprinkler system company in Fort Lauderdale, FL and learn about some of the signs that you may be watering too often:
- Too much water: The most obvious sign that your lawn has been overwatered is if there are puddles of standing water in your yard. Standing water means that the ground is saturated and isn’t able to handle all of that water. If your yard is on a slant, you may notice the water running off your lawn and down into the street or your driveway instead of sitting in puddles. Either way, that’s too much water, and you need to cut back on watering.
- Thatch: A thick mat of decomposed plants, roots and other organic material is known as thatch in the landscaping industry. If this layer of thatch is thicker than ¾ of an inch on your grass, it prevents oxygen from reaching the roots (which kills the grass) while also providing a habitat for insects and fungi. Proper watering can lessen the chance of thatch buildup, while overwatering promotes this buildup, thus leading to an unhealthy and poor-looking lawn.
- Fungus: There are many different types of fungi in the world, and they all have one thing in common: they thrive in moist environments! If your lawn is constantly wet from overwatering, it could become a hotbed for mushrooms and a variety of other fungi. The symptoms of a fungus-infected lawn vary depending on the type of fungus you have, but regardless of the type, it’s never a good look for your lawn.
- Weeds: Pulling weeds is often a gardener’s most dreaded task. However, it’s also necessary in order to have a healthy garden. Weeds deprive surrounding plants of essential nutrients, and can effectively kill them over time. Some of these very same weeds, like smooth crabgrass and yellow nutsedge, thrive in overwatered lawns. You can kill them by watering your lawn at the right intervals and never giving it too much water.
- Pests: The thatch we mentioned above creates a nice place for insects to live because it protects them from any insecticides you spray on the ground. Like fungi, many different types of insects can live in your lawn, and they all damage it in different ways. Burrowing in the ground, chewing on blades and feeding on roots are just a few of the ways that these pests can kill your lawn.
If you want to ensure that your lawn stays lush and green without becoming overwatered, your best bet is to start researching sprinkler system companies in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The professionals at Spillers Sprinklers Inc. can install high-tech sprinkler systems that’ll only water your lawn when it’s thirsty and when the weather is right. Give us a call today to set up a consultation!