March 8, 2005 Weekly Water Saving Tip

The weather continues to warm up with each passing day. This coming week is predicted to a warm one. But, the night temperatures are cool enough that little growth of the plants are occurring. With each warm spell the plants are triggered to begin growing, but the danger is still there that a late frost may come and damage the plants. The longer we can delay the rapid growth, the hardier the plants will be. Holding back on the irrigation of the landscape will help to slow down the growth of these plants. If you feel you lawn truly needs irrigation now, water deeply making sure you get water down to a depth of 6-8 inches. Now, for more information on how long you should run your sprinklers to reach that depth, log onto www.conservewater.utah.gov.

This also is the time to be watchful for any skunks or birds probing in the lawn, this can be a sure sign of grubs. The damage the grubs make may not show up until the hot summer days are upon us. So treat the areas now to stop damage to the turf. Also, with all the moisture we have received, weeds are becoming a problem. Treating the localized areas where they show up will many times eliminate the need to treat the entire lawn. This will save money and also reduce the amount of chemical that is released into the environment.

Need help figuring out how your irrigation clock works? Get tips on how to adjust those timers to meet seasonal needs, prevent over watering and promote a healthier landscape. Learn proper irrigation system maintenance and scheduling. A workshop, Fine tuning your irrigation system, will be held this Saturday, March 12 at 10 a.m. The location of the workshop is at the Tonaquint Nature Center. 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.

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.