Why Do You Water During the Daytime?

As the summer progresses, the root systems (particularly on Seaside) become very short.  We try to encourage root growth in the fall and spring.  The tiny grass plants survive on these root systems.  In May, roots average about 4 inches in depth.  Now, the roots are 1-2 inches on Seaside and 1-6 inches on Newport.  The shortest roots are on the greens that are shaded or in pocketed areas. 

As the roots shrink in size and as the humidity starts to drop, wilt occurs rapidly now.  Now, you will see the greens heads pop on for 1-2 minutes.  The goal is to cool the turf and slow down the loss of water (a term called ET).  The upper 1-2 inches of soil need to be kept moist for the plants to survive.   So when you see heads running this time of year on greens, it usually is to slow down some wilt.