Howdy!
I’m relatively new to organic lawn care (and lawn care in general!), so I’m still learning the basics and putting two and two together. But if the basics don’t seem to be getting the job done, then I’m off to learn more advanced math!
I love to combine scientific information with natural/organic solutions! So, after the sizzling heat - and the accompanying sizzling of the lawn despite standard, normal watering practices - I prayed and was off to the races!
In addition to the great information on this site, I found this amazing scientific watering calculator online! It takes into account the PET - the
potential evapotranspiration rate - in specific areas in Texas: evapotranspiration is the amount of water the soil will lose to evaporation and the plant will lose by transpiration (water given off by the plant to the environment). It can also take into account your turf grass and how you would like your lawn to look – pretty amazing!
What was cool was that I could see why my standard watering practices weren’t working – with the extreme weather, the lawn was losing more water in just three days than I gave it for the entire week!
If you’re interested, check out:
http://texashelp.tamu.edu/hot-topics/?p=1820You may find out that you’re right on target or, like me, maybe not so much…
I’m looking forward to using the screwdriver test to see how far down the water goes after I deeply water (at least 1 to 2 inches) and (if needed) how to achieve better, more efficient saturation (continued use of surfactants, soil amendments, etc.)!