How much to water grass in Dry Season CM?

[jak2002003]

Now the rain has nearly stopped I was wondering how much water my lawn needs per week?  I have a portable sprinkler and if I leave it on for 15 - 20 minutes then it give out about 2 inches of water to the area covered.  

 

The lawn is starting to look 'tired' and not very green.  Also should I feed it, or is too much fertilizer bad?  I last added fertilizer about 6 months ago.  The lawn is about year and half old now.

 

Finally, I have some new planted coconut trees and other palms.  Will the few inches of water from the sprinkler be enough for them?  If now, how much and how often should I water the palms?  They are about 3 meter high.  Also about how to fertilize them if needed.

 

Thanks for any advise.  

[drtreelove]

It's not an easy question to answer. So much depends on the climate in whatever region you are located, shading from trees and buildings if any, type of grass, soil texture (sand/silt/clay), drainage, soil organic matter content, and how well it retains moisture. You have to answer your own question with experimentation and observation. 

 

After you water with the sprinkler for the 15 - 20 minutes, examine the soil surface to see if all the water drained right away or if it pooled on the surface and takes a while to drain.  And observe how long it takes for the soil surface to appear somewhat dry.  A couple of hours or more after watering, dig down in two or three test spots to see how deep the water penetrated; an inch is not enough, you want to apply enough to achieve at least 4-inches (10-cm) depth infiltration to encourage deep rooting and less frequent watering requirement.  Observe the grass condition over the next day or two for green growth response and also for possible wilting, which you will notice by drying, shriveling and slight discoloration of the grass blades.  (With Malaysia grass this is very obvious, it drys and thins and looks off)

 

Water deeply and frequently enough so that it never gets to the wilting point.  But don't water so much that it stays muddy wet. 

 

For the palms, I would water individually, deeply and less frequently than the grass, 4 to 6 inches of water to fill a burmed water basin, maybe once a week or two weeks.   If the palms are in the lawn area then it can be problematic. It's best not to have sprinkler water hitting the base of the palm stem daily.   Overwatering can cause stem and root rot in time.  

 

Hope that helps, Don

[drtreelove]

For fertilizer, pick up a sack of Bat Guano 20%,  cow manure and compost product from the ag supply shop pictured in MaeJo on the main drag near the talat, across from MJU.  

[jak2002003]

2 hours ago, drtreelove said:

For fertilizer, pick up a sack of Bat Guano 20%,  cow manure and compost product from the ag supply shop pictured in MaeJo on the main drag near the talat, across from MJU.  

Thank you for you advise and replies!

 

I know that shop as I drive past there often.

 

Sorry to keep asking questions, but how often to fertilize the lawn a year?  Can I overdo it?  

 

Grass is looking better now.  I give it more water.  Its not Malaysian grass, its got thin fine leaves and is spongy and soft to walk on like a carpet.

 

I never have any standing water or puddles on it, even in the heavy rain.  

 

Its got no weeks in it because I kept weeding it in the early days.

 

I am going with giving it a really good soak with the hose pipe and sprinkler 2 times a week.  

 

The soil is not so good I think.  Its a new house and they used lots of the red clay type earth.  Over than we got some black soil to a depth of about 1 - 2 inches (deeper in places).  It was hard to plant some of the palms as had to take out lumps of concrete... think this is the usual way here with new gardens.