If you're like us, you take great pride in your Florida lawn. You live in Florida to enjoy the year-round pleasant weather. And one of the many benefits of that gorgeous Florida weather is the lush vegetation we have and care for. So after running ragged all summer caring and manicuring your lawn, wintertime in Florida is like a vacation from work! Finally, the grass doesn't grow as fast.
As wintertime approaches in Florida, our grass tends to need far less water than in the blazing hot summer. The water loss that comes as a result of evaporation decreases considerably in the wintertime, as does the rate at which the grass grows as well. Here in Florida, the warm-season grasses like Bahia, Bermuda, and St. Augustine go into a dormant stage during the colder winter months and will spring back to life in, well, the Spring.
However, to ensure that your grass begins growing in the Spring correctly (or even at all) comes down to the care you give your lawn during the winter. As a homeowner, you should adjust your irrigation system seasonally in Florida to make sure you are not over-watering or under-watering your lawn. When you water your grass more or less than it needs, you may cause long-term harm to the health of your turf in several ways. Here are some of those negative impacts of incorrect lawn watering:
UNDER-WATERING
- Grass becomes fragile and brittle
- Causes a change in the color
- Slows plant growth
OVER-WATERING
- Causes grass to lose color faster
- Reduces the lawn’s stress tolerance
- Weed growth
- Drowning of grassroots
Lawn care in Florida is a year-round process. Watering your lawn in the winter is not much different from any other time of year. The grass still needs a sufficient amount of water and nutrients to be able to make it through the winter and come back green and lush in the Spring. The most significant difference in summer and winter lawn watering in Florida is the frequency in which you water it. Generally, during the summer, with significant water loss due to evaporation, most Floridians water their lawns twice a week. Lowering that to once per week during the winter months should be sufficient.
As fas as the schedule of when that's pretty easy…when the lawn needs it. Water your lawn when the lawn starts to change color to blue or gray or when you notice the blades on the grass folding in.
With these simple tips, you can have a super, green lush lawn just in time for the beautiful Spring weather. Make sure to adjust your irrigation system for the winter or give Nick's Fix-It a call, and we will be happy to provide a thorough evaluation of your irrigation system.
