By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

When the temperature warms up, it may be tempting to water your lawn or garden every day.

That’s too often, according to Holly Dickman, water conservation specialist for the city of Hays, and it can be unhealthy for plants.

“It’s important to water correctly to create water efficient plants,” Dickman said. “Watering deeply and infrequently is the key to encouraging deep, more drought tolerant roots.”

“If you do water  more frequently but not as deeply, what happens is you wind up encouraging those roots to stay right in that top layer of moist soil. And then when we do get to those hot dry summer months of July and August, those are the first lawns to drought-stress and look bad,” Dickman warned. “Then the response a lot of times is to go out and water them more.”

Here are the best watering depths:

• Turfgrass and Lawns: At least 6-8 inches
• Flowers and Vegetable Gardens: At least 8-12 inches
• Trees and Shrubs: At least 12-18 inches (where the bulk of their roots are located)

“Watering much deeper than these depths is a waste of water,” she emphasized.

The exception is a newly planted garden or lawn. “You will have to water more often.”

A permit may be obtained at Hays City Hall that, for a period of 10 days, will allow outdoor watering during summer’s restricted hours for newly seeded, sodded, plugged, or sprigged lawns.

The watering depth can be checked by using a probe such as a long screwdriver, a piece of rebar, or a strong wire.

When the probe hits resistance, you’ve likely hit dry soil, and determined the depth to which the moisture has reached.

Drip or sub-surface irrigation is the most efficient method. “It places the water exactly where you need it,” said Dickman.

If you water using sprinkler systems or by hand, Dickman suggests irrigating early in the morning. “That’s when you can usually take advantage of lower wind speeds, less evaporation, and higher humidity levels.”

“Watering in the morning also allows plant leaves to dry off quickly,” she added, “lessening the threat of potential disease problems.”