Watering in the Rain

Everyone thinks I'm mad when they see me watering the lawn whilst storm clouds gather overhead. 'Doesn't he know he's wasting his time?' 'It'll be raining soon?' (What? Not you, as well?). Of course, they don't actually say that I'm mad - not to my face, anyhow - it's just a feeling: a very strong one (could it have something to do with the looks I get!).

But after a long dry spell, this makes a lot of sense to me (the watering, I mean). Wetting the surface allows rainwater to penetrate the surface, rather than run off and be ineffective. A dry lawn acts like a thatched roof!

The same principle applies with a sprinkler - often more so since they put out water very quickly. It is a good idea to run a sprinkler for a few minutes only, just to wet the surface, then wait for several hours (best left overnight) before continuing in short bursts. I have found this to be effective. I place a plant saucer under the sprinkler to guage how much water has been applied.

Normally, I like to apply water in 1cm (1/2 inch) sessions, giving enough (usually about 2.5cm (1 inch) in total) so the fork tines will easily go down full depth. Any resistance indicates water shortage (or compaction - or both).




My lawn (and probably yours also) contains more than just thatch. This plug (taken out with an auger) shows about 4.5 cm (1.5 inches) of impenetrable old roots and debris. Hardly anyone ever mentions this in the gardening books. We are led to believe that thatch is that stuff on the surface which can easily be raked off (well, with nothing more than a light sweat).

I have tried for years to remove this thatch. It will come off with a mechanical scarifier, but it leaves nothing behind. It's not like this all over the lawn, just in patches. The way to remove it is to add lime and to keep moist and aerated. We are led to believe that lawns will not grow with over half an inch of thatch. Tell me about it.