The heat is on, and many lawns are struggling. Consider these suggestions for keeping your landscapes and gardens healthy while also saving water.

Go easy on the watering.

In almost all circumstances, plants tolerate or prefer to have variations in soil moisture. This means that it is perfectly fine for soil to dry out moderately between irrigations. Soil that is kept overly wet reduces vigor and can actually harm plants.

Watch for the signs before watering.

Do not rely on a sprinkler clock or irrigation controller to irrigate lawns on a set schedule. Instead, determine when the lawn actually requires irrigation and manually activate the system as needed. A common sign of drought stress in turfgrass is grass blades not quickly springing back upright when walked on, leaving a trail of footprints in the lawn. Additionally, walking on a lawn barefoot can let you feel how dry the soil is. Relatively dry soil under the grass is hard, does not “give” when stepped on and is slightly uncomfortable to walk on. Wetter soil depresses a bit when weight is applied.

Choose the right time to water.

Do not water between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. During this period, up to 50 percent of water emitted from sprinklers is lost to evaporation. Instead, irrigate when the sun is down or low in the sky.

Spot-treat brown spots.

Small areas of the lawn can brown during hot weather because of variations and inefficiencies in sprinkling systems. Instead of increasing the amount of time the entire sprinkling system irrigates, supplement water to the brown areas with a small hose-end lawn sprinkler or water by hand with a hose.

Don’t cut the lawn too short.

Mow the lawn to a height of at least 2 inches. This allows roots to penetrate deeper into the soil and increases overall drought hardiness.

Go deep.

When irrigating turf, water long enough for the water to penetrate 6 to 12 inches into the soil. This encourages deeper root development and reduces the frequency of required irrigations.

Adjust watering based on sun exposure.

Irrigate shady and sunny areas according to need. Shady areas require much less irrigation than sunnier areas.

Mulch your beds.

Cover bare soil in the garden and flower beds with 2-3 inches of mulch. Not only does this save water, it greatly reduces the need for weeding. Inexpensive mulch can be obtained from many local green waste recycling centers. Grass clippings also work well and are free.

Hand water or use drip irrigation for flower and garden beds.

Hand-water or use drip irrigation to irrigate flowerbeds, vegetable gardens and shrub beds. Water should be placed near plants and penetrate the soil 6 inches deep for flowers and veggies, and 2 feet into the soil for established trees and shrubs.

This information was provided by Kelly Kopp, Utah State University Extension water conservation and turfgrass specialist, 435-757 6650, kelly.kopp@usu.edu and Taun Beddes, USU Extension horticulturist, 801-851 8460, taun.beddes@usu.edu

Autumn is here! Find out what you can do to get your garden ready for winter

As the weather begins to change, it is time to start thinking about fall yard care, and horticulturist Katie Wagner has some great tips on how to put your yard and garden to bed for winter on the USU Extension YouTube channel.

Highlights

Lawn care:

• After your lawn has stopped growing, mow it to 1 – 1 ½ inches.
• Mow the leaves right into the grass to act as a mulch and compost back into the lawn.
• Do a late-season fertilization after grass has stopped growing but before it turns brown.

In the garden:

• Remove plants after they stop producing. Do not till them into the soil to prevent possible disease in next year’s garden.
• Amend the soil. If you use animal manure compost, winter snow will help wash away any salt before the next growing season.

Landscaping:

• Take advantage of season-end sales on woody trees and shrubs; they will take root more easily in the cooler weather than in the heat of summer.
• Mulch around the base of rose bushes.

Do you have yard and garden questions? Check out http://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/, or call your local Extension office to talk to an expert.

Ask a Specialist: Can I Use Items from My Kitchen Pantry for Lawn Care Remedies?

Answer by: Richard Beard, Utah State University Extension agricultural engineering and pesticide safety specialist, (435) 797-0573, richard.beard@usu.edu

 There are several reasons to consider using home remedies rather than commercial fertilizers and herbicides in the yard and garden, including sensitivities to chemicals and concern that such chemicals are unhealthy or present significant environmental hazards. Consider this information.

          * A good alternative to manufactured fertilizers is compost produced in an out-of-the-way location in the back yard. Place grass clippings, leaves, food waste from the kitchen, pet feces and other such items in a pile. Mix the materials and allow time, moisture and temperature to produce compost. Use multiple compost piles to allow older materials to be applied while newer items are processing.

         * To control weeds without using manufactured herbicides, the best option is to pull, remove or interfere with weed growth. Regularly pulling, hoeing or mowing weeds and encouraging grass to grow and out-compete the weeds is an excellent solution. A variety of household items, such as newspapers, can be used as weed barriers. Lay the material down to prevent sunlight from reaching the unwanted plants, and cover with mulch or other plant-resistant material. Be cautious about the weed barrier material used because items such as plastic shower curtains or old tarps are good barriers but can be difficult to work with later when it is time to rework the site.

          * Many people promote the use of common household items in place of herbicides, though this is not preferred. Herbicides kill unwanted plants. Some herbicides are selective – killing just grass or just broadleaf plants, while other herbicides are non-selective – killing all plants. Some herbicides are contact pesticides – killing only the parts of the plant contacted, while other herbicides translocate through plant tissue to kill all parts, above and below ground. Most of the fast-acting home remedies act as non-selective, contact herbicides that kill only the plant parts contacted and all plants treated.

          * Common home remedies include a variety of petroleum-based products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, oil products, solvents, etc. These products will certainly kill plants, but they also present fire and environmental hazards. Other home remedies include boiling water, salt, bleach, vinegar, alcohol, dish soap, borax, baking soda and numerous caustic cleaning products such as oven cleaner. All of these products will kill plants if applied at a high enough concentration and with repeated applications, however, this can be expensive and/or time consuming. If home remedies are to be used, products that are normally consumed are the safest, but not necessarily the most effective. It is also important to consider who or what pets or wildlife might come in contact with a treatment site.

          For people who do not wish to use traditional chemical herbicides, it may be best to consider one of the newer eco-friendly products. Purchase an EPA-registered herbicide made with products similar to the safe home remedies. Such items are sold in a ready-to-use spray bottle with application instructions and safety recommendations. Work safely.

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Direct column topics to: Julene Reese, Utah State University Extension writer, 435-797-0810 or julene.reese@usu.edu.