news&views Summer 2020 | Page 40

and crowd out weeds. Don’t aim for that ‘putting green’ look by chopping your lawn too short. The longer blades of grass will keep weed seeds from finding their way easily to the soil zone. The increased length keeps the moisture in the soil better because the sun cannot reach the soil zone as easily. In the summer, watering the lawn and other outdoor uses can account for up to fifty per cent of home water consumption. Studies have shown that this amount of water use is wasteful, and the same results can be accomplished with far less water. • Two to three centimetres of water per week is enough to sustain a lawn. Leave a measuring container in the yard to measure rainfall or to gauge how much water is being delivered from a sprinkler. If enough water has been provided through rainfall, skip the watering that week. • When watering, use a sprinkler with a low angle or one that is a pulsating type. Don’t use sprinklers that shoot the water high into the air or ones that have a fine spray or mist. With this type of