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Hot weather means your lawn may need more attention

Posted at 4:55 PM, Jul 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-09 18:55:13-04
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHrssSyFL1g?rel=0&showinfo=0]

MISSOULA – Warm weather is finally here, which means your lawn or garden might need some extra attention.

But extra attention might not mean extra water, just different watering times.

"The times of days that you water, the time of the day, try to do it early morning or late in the afternoon/evening," said City Public Works Deputy Director Dennis Bowman. "You do not want to do a lot of your watering in the middle of the day because (of) evaporation."

You also should try and leave your lawn a little longer during the summer, which helps the grass trap in more moisture.

"Another thing that the customers can do is, in the summertime, instead of cutting the grass so low keep it a little longer. So anywhere from a half inch to an inch longer depending on the species of the grass that you have," Bowman said. "By having it a little longer it keeps the moisture in the soil a little better."

Checking to make sure your sprinkler system is working properly can also help to conserve water during these hot months by reducing wasted water from runoff.

"Turn your sprinklers on manually and make sure that everything is being sprinkled that you want to be watered, along with making sure that you’re not watering the sidewalk or the water is going down kind of look at what runoff," Bowman said. "That’s a good way to conserve water, is that once the grass and soil are wet you don’t need to have anything runoff. You’re wasting water, basically."

And a greener lawn could mean a cooler house.

"The temperature drops because you don’t have all that dark color generating the heat. The grass and the landscaped area makes it cooler and it cools your house a little bit better for you," Bowman said.

If you would like more info on how to conserve water and save your water bill you can find more info at https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/2181/Conservation.