If your home has a lawn, keeping it lush, green, and attractive is key to your home’s curb appeal. That requires frequent care and fertilizer application. However, it also requires regular watering. The best way to handle that is to install and use a sprinkler system. But even if you have one, you could still have dry spots in your lawn, and here’s why and what to do.
Common Causes of Dry Lawn Spots With a Sprinkler System
At the time of its installation, your sprinkler system should have been designed to ensure proper irrigation of your lawn. That should include variably spaced heads and well-adjusted spray patterns and volume. However, making changes to your lawn after the fact alters that calculus. Simple wear and tear on components of your sprinkler system can also deprive parts of your lawn of sufficient watering.
Some reasons your lawn might develop dry spots, even with a sprinkler system, include the following.
Clogged Sprinkler Heads
Over time, dirt and detritus can get lodged in your sprinkler heads. That can reduce how much water reaches your lawn around the affected head. If the problem worsens, water may stop flowing from the head entirely. If your home has hard water, mineral deposits can have similar effects.
Broken Sprinkler Heads
If any of your sprinkler heads stop functioning completely, it may lead to patches of dry grass. Sprinkler heads may get stuck and refuse to open when the system runs, or they might suffer physical damage when you cut your lawn.
Sun Exposure
If your lawn is like most, it likely doesn’t get uniform solar exposure. Some areas could get sun all day while others receive just a few hours. That affects how much water each part of your lawn requires to stay healthy. If anything changed that affected your lawn’s sun exposure, like removed landscaping or trees, it could explain dry lawn spots.
Poor Head Spacing
If your sprinkler system wasn’t designed exactly right, your lawn might be suffering the effects of poor head spacing. Uneven sprinkler coverage could leave gaps that cause tell-tale dry spots on your lawn.
Low Water Pressure
If your lawn has dry spots and also seems water-deprived throughout, you may have a water pressure issue. Reduced sprinkler pressure will affect the most water-hungry parts of your lawn first, or it might cause dry spots by opening up gaps in your sprinkler coverage.
Slope and Drainage
The slope and the drainage of your property also may contribute to dry lawn spots. If you have a mostly flat lawn, watering it evenly should be sufficient. However, slopes significantly alter watering needs. This means the parts of your lawn near the tops of slopes need far more water while the bottoms of slopes may get waterlogged.
Soil Compaction
If the soil under your lawn gets compacted, it may lead to dry spots, too. Compacted soil restricts drainage and may keep water from reaching your grass roots. It also has poor aeration, which can lead to grass turning brown.
Controller Programming Issues
Issues with your sprinkler system’s controller may also cause dry spots on your lawn. If the controller programming doesn’t match your lawn’s real-world needs, your grass will suffer. For example, if your sprinklers turn on but don’t remain running long enough to sufficiently water sun-drenched grass, it could die off.
General Lawn Watering Advice
No two lawns are alike, so there’s no universal advice that will guarantee you avoid sprinkler system dry spots. However, most lawns in this area need between one and one and a half inches of water per week. That includes rainfall, so you’d still need to modulate sprinkler system output.
It’s also a good idea to evaluate your lawn’s underlying soil conditions weekly. Everything from fluctuating temperatures to relative humidity can affect your lawn’s watering needs. The only way to know for sure is to measure soil moisture and visually inspect your lawn.
Effective Sprinkler System Use
Keeping your sprinkler system maintained and learning to control it more precisely can help keep your lawn healthy. And that begins with a coverage check. After your sprinkler completes a watering cycle, walk around your lawn to see if the water reached all areas. If you suspect it didn’t, we can make adjustments to fix the problem for you.
You can also measure water output by setting out cups or jars on your lawn, each roughly 2 feet from your sprinkler heads. Then, turn on your sprinkler system for 15 minutes. That will let you calculate how many inches of water your sprinklers supply per hour. If necessary, we can adjust your sprinkler heads to increase or decrease their output to accommodate sunny and shady areas.
If you note any sprinkler heads that output far more or less water than others, they may need repair. We can arrange an appointment for sprinkler repair in Noblesville to correct the issue for you. We can also perform an efficiency check to avoid water waste and identify any other issues that may impact your lawn.
If you’ve made changes to your property that may have impacted your lawn, you may need your sprinkler system reconfigured. That may include moving heads around or adding new ones. Our experts can evaluate your lawn’s watering needs and make whatever changes you require. Then you can be rid of any persistent brown spots and enjoy a healthy, thriving lawn.
Your Local Sprinkler System Experts
Keeping your lawn looking great is a big undertaking. It helps to have a sprinkler system expert on your side. Custom Touch Irrigation is an irrigation expert with over 45 years of experience. We’re the best place to turn for irrigation repair in Hilliard. We can also install sprinkler systems or make modifications as your needs change. And we offer seasonal maintenance services to keep your system working efficiently.
If you’re sick of seeing dry spots in your lawn in Ohio or Indiana, contact Custom Touch Irrigation today!
