LAWN TIPS!!

Mow and go
Be waterwise
Build healthy soil
Get your yard off drugs

Even more info...
 Rain Barrels
 Backyard Composters
 City Compost
 Other Resources and Information

Be Waterwise

• Water thoroughly but infrequently. Over-watering and constant shallow watering can lead to disease, leach nutrients from the soil and waste water. Too much water creates shallow roots that make lawns and gardens more susceptible to pests and heat stress.
• Water about 2.5 centimetres a week (about an hour) in warm weather. Watering in the early morning reduces evaporation. A lawn that stays wet through the night can cause disease.
• Give your lawn a rest in the summer. Let the areas of the yard that don’t get heavy wear go brown and dormant. Water it only once every month in dry weather, and it’ll bounce back in the fall.

Waterwise Gardens

Get wise to beautiful gardens that don’t guzzle water.

Drought-tolerant plants suitable for Vancouver:

• Find out more through our Boulevard Planting Guideline

Waterwise landscaping design tips:

• View the City of Vancouver Water Wise Landscape Guidelines
• Visit the Regional Compost and Water Wise Demonstration Garden

Get Sprinkler Savvy

When it comes to watering, more is not always better.  Most people over water, making their lawn weaker and more susceptible to disease.  Here are some easy steps to give your lawn exactly what it needs.

6 steps for perfect lawn watering

Measure how deep the moisture has travelled into your lawn after a rain or sprinkling.  Testing is easy.  Just slice into your sod with a long screw driver or shovel, and then look at how far the water has penetrated.  Roots should extend somewhere between 7 and 14 cm (3 to 6 inches) and moisture should extend to this depth. 

Test how much water your sprinkler is supplying and the evenness of its dispersal by doing a can catch test. 

• Lay out cans or jars in a line extending away from the sprinkler,
• Run sprinkler for 15 minutes,
• Measure depth in each container, 
• Calculate how long you need to sprinkle to get 2.5 cm (1 inch) of water.  This is all the water a healthy lawn needs for one week.

3) Water in the morning

Prevent water loss through evaporation by sprinkling before midday.  Morning is preferable to evenings because a lawn that stays wet through the night is more prone to disease.

Turn off your sprinkler when nature is doing the watering for you.  If you have an automatic irrigation system, considering installing a rain sensor.  A rain sensor is an irrigation shutoff device that turns off your automatic sprinkler system when it is raining.  Once the water has evaporated, the scheduled irrigation will automatically start again.

Know when your lawn needs a drink.  Two cues to watch out for:

1. Footprints stay in the lawn long after you have walked on it
2. Leaf blades start to curl out.  Colour is deceiving because older lawns are often lighter in colour.

6) Consider going golden

Turn off the flow and let your lawn relax and go golden this summer.  In the heat your lawn may begin to wilt and turn a golden colour.  This is its natural dormancy state.  Deeply rooted lawn will survive several weeks in this state without water.  Remember going golden means less time watering and mowing.

How do I find the best sprinkler?

When choosing a sprinkler look for:

• Low-volume,
• Low-angle sprinklers, and
• Heads that fit the size and shape of the area being watering. 

Avoid sprinklers that produce a fine mist or shoot water high into the air.  These cause water to evaporate and the spray to be blown off target.  Sprinklers that throw water also tend deliver more water to the sides of its spray pattern.

Great sprinklers can be made even better with a rain sensor!  Install a rain shutoff device to prevent watering during and after rain.

Drip irrigation, micro-sprays, soaker hoses, or bubblers are the best methods for watering trees, shrubs, flowers and ground-covers.

Comments or questions? Send us e-mail: composthotline@telus.net or call 604.736.2250

© , City of Vancouver, Engineering Services
Last Modified: Thursday, March 24, 2011