I’m kind of new to this whole lawn care thing. I live in the SF Bay Area and it rarely gets below freezing, so lawns don’t die and turn brown like in many other parts of the US. This morning was pretty cold and the temp was around 48 degrees F.
Should I continue to water my lawn as I have been lately or taper off going into winter? My watering schedule has been 3-5 minutes per day. It appears to be growing much slower based on the cuttings I get from mowing it every weekend.
As days get shorter and temps start to drop, your grass will beging to go dormant and, during such, it’s water requirements should drop as well. As long as you can push an 8 inch screwdriver in around 6 inches without too much effort, the soil’s moist enough.
However, daily watering, if that’s what you do, isn’t really the optimum method. In fact, it may encourage more weed growth. A less frequent, deep watering schedule would probably do it more good. Rule of thumb is around an inch a week, adjusted for rainfall and season.
Also, consider using a winterizer to give it the right fuel for the winter… low nitrogen and higher phosphorus for roots. The bag should be marked “winterizer” but of the three numbers, the first will be lower and the last higher than a summer blend.
Stop in a nursery or hardware store too and visit with a professional. Undoubtably, there’s products specifically formulated for your area and they’ll know what works best.