February 23, 2004 Weekly Water Saving Tip

Weekly Water Saving Tip #8

February 23, 2004

Turf is still dormant and not yet growing. Irrigation is not needed. As long as the turf is dormant there is no need for moisture and the outlook for this coming growing season looks to be dry and water in short supply. A brown turf at this time will be damaged much less than a brown turf in the summer. The later we get the flush of growth in our turf the better. There should be enough moisture in the soil for the turf for at least two weeks or more. The temperatures in the soil are at 50º F and the roots are only growing slowly. We can help the water situation by holding off on irrigating the lawn as long as possible.

 
It's a good time to aerated your lawn before the first water is applied. Leave the cores on the lawn they will make an excellent top dressing and help to build up the soil.

 
Also, hold back on the fertilizer at this time. If you want an early green lawn the best idea would be to cut your lawn short now when (the temperatures are cool enough to allow this) then, when your turf begins to grow, the new green shoots will appear sooner.

 
Now, for the vegetable gardeners, it's great time to plant your cool-season crops indoors. When using starts, plant them outside before they get too large. When they are transplanted too large a cool temperature will cause them to bolt instead of producing the normal crop. With the transplants started, get the flower and vegetable beds ready for planting. If you didn't have a chance to work the soil last fall, do it as soon as possible. It is important to add some compost to the soil to help build up the organic matter, which in turn will aid in the retention of water when you irrigate. If you are going to use manure it is important that it be well rotted or add nitrogen to stop any nitrogen tie up in the soil and thereby causing a yellowing of your plants.

 
This weekend is our Prune it Right workshop. It will be held at The Garden in TonaquintParkon Saturday, February 28, at 10:00 a.m.The workshop will teach the pruning basics for proper tree care. Space is limited so please call 673-3617 to reserve your spot. The cost for the workshop is $5 to be paid at the door and participants will receive a book, Garden Basics by Louise Carter.

 
The Weekly Water Saving is provided to Washington County Water Conservancy District by Dr. Frank Williams of the BYU Horticulture Department. For more information, call Julie Breckenridge at 673-3617.