As temperatures climb in the summer months, your lawn is going to feel the heat just like you do. Drought is the number one reason the grass on lawns dies. Additionally, people often travel this time of year, or get busy with other summer activities, and their lawns can suffer from lack of water and attention.
Lawn irrigation in Kansas City is vital because of our changing weather patterns in the Midwest. Some seasons we get a lot of rain, and then other parts of the year are very dry. Day to day, most people don’t have the time to learn about their specific lawn’s needs and follow a strict watering schedule.
The experts at Lifestyle Outdoor are here to help maintain your lawn throughout the year, regardless of the season. We are Kansas City’s experts in HOA-focused landscaping and lawn care solutions.
Installing an irrigation system for your HOA or private residence is a way to make lawn irrigation easier. This allows you to save time, money, and water, all while keeping your lawn looking beautiful and vibrant!
The Benefits of Lawn Irrigation in Kansas City
Save money and avoid irrigation damage
Installing an irrigation system saves you money by helping control water use. For HOAs, this means ensuring your community is able to keep costs down and that each lawn receives the proper care. For residents, it can mean not having to pay a neighbor or a family member to come out and water their lawn or plants while on vacation.
Having an expertly installed irrigation system means saving money in other areas, too. The team at Lifestyle Outdoor considers the soil quality and the direction any runoff water would flow. Doing this ensures the irrigation doesn’t cause unintended damage to buildings or foundations, avoiding significant costs.
Customized systems for each residence
Lifestyle Outdoor is the only Kansas City company that installs custom irrigation systems specialized for HOAs. For residents, we can even make sure to include the potted plants that often get overlooked in traditional lawn irrigation systems. We can install drip or micro spray irrigation, depending on the specific needs of the plant!
Effective HOA community irrigation is about understanding the needs of the unique neighborhood. Our experts take every inch of the community into consideration when designing and installing our systems.
Smart irrigation technology
Smart technology didn’t stop with your cell phone! Proper irrigation is about watering long enough, often enough. A smart irrigation system allows you to set the parameters, and then the system takes care of the rest.
This technology has been used at the commercial level for a while, but the experts at Lifestyle Outdoor are able to install it for residential systems too!
Smart irrigation systems monitor weather, soil conditions, evaporation, and plant water content. When conditions change, the system automatically adjusts watering schedules. That’s one less thing for you to worry about!
Smart irrigation also monitors the flow of water through the system. If it detects a change, like one that a leak would cause, it shuts the system down. This avoids loss of water through leaks, or the overflow of water, and keeps water costs down.
Irrigation maintenance support
By installing a system with a professional company like Lifestyle Outdoor, it also means being able to relax if something goes wrong.
Through regular maintenance of our irrigation systems, we help HOAs keep their water costs down and make sure the systems are always working properly. We provide full system health reports, make necessary repairs, and also winterize systems.
We offer 24/7 emergency maintenance on all of our irrigation systems, a Lifestyle Outdoor concierge is always on call.
What exactly is irrigation?
Irrigation is a manmade watering system. Rain isn’t irrigation, but a sprinkler system is. Proper irrigation takes careful management to keep your yard thriving; that’s why we highly recommend installing an irrigation system.
But I already have a sprinkler system?
Sprinkler irrigation is actually only one type of irrigation! There are many different types of irrigation you can use depending on the situation. Most neighborhood-scale irrigation would be surface, sprinkler, and drip irrigation. Our irrigation pros can assess your needs for best results.
What happens without quality lawn irrigation in Kansas City?
If you’re looking at your lawn and wondering what’s killing your grass, more than likely you can link it to an irrigation issue.
Kansas City is full of unique neighborhoods with different needs. Some areas have more tree cover, some communities love their perennial plants, there are various lawn sizes, we could go on.
Lawn irrigation in Kansas City is just as much about understanding the neighborhood as a whole for HOAs, as well as each individual residence. That’s why we always recommend requesting a site visit, so we can really dig into the needs of the area.
How do you know if your yard issue is caused by over or under watering?
Signs your lawn isn’t getting enough water
There are two distinct things you’ll probably start to notice if you’re not watering your lawn enough. The grass will not grow, and perhaps even turn brown in places. There will also be noticeable cracks in the ground, because the soil will be hard and dry.
Cracks
If you’re seeing large, well-defined cracks in your yard, that’s a major indication that you’re under watering your lawn. Dry soil is also harder to dig into. If you take a shovel, or even your fingers, you should be able to easily make an indent into the soil.
Grass roots are only surface level, they are not able to grow longer to reach for water like trees and larger plants. Keeping your soil adequately watered is vital for grass survival.
Brown grass
If your lawn is suffering from drought conditions, you’ll notice that the grass is growing slower, and brown patches are starting to appear. Another clue you’ll see is that walking through your grass leaves very noticeable footprints. Dry grass doesn’t spring back as easily as wet grass.
How do I tell if my lawn is dormant or dead?
Just because your grass is brown doesn’t always mean it’s time to worry! Some grasses go dormant during winter and summer as a response to extreme temperatures. A dormant lawn will appear brown but will turn green after being watered, or when the weather changes.
Another way to check if your lawn is dormant is to tug on the grass. If the grass holds firm, it’s probably just dormant. However, if the grass pulls away (roots and all) from the ground easily, that’s a sign that your lawn is dead.
If your lawn remains brown after moisture or with weather changes, it might be time to consider reseeding your lawn.
Signs your lawn is getting too much water
It may feel easy to identify when your lawn is experiencing drought. On the other hand, overwatering your lawn also leads to problems that can affect your property appearance and value.
Thatch
Thatch is a mat of decaying plant material (stems, roots, leaves) that can form when there is not enough drainage in a lawn. Too much moisture makes it hard for that material to break down. It accumulates between the grass and soil, and prevents nutrients from entering the soil.
Some thatch is normal in most lawns, but too much of it can lead to problems.
Weeds
Overwatering can encourage the growth of certain weeds, like crabgrass. Those weeds grow quickly and start limiting the sunlight your grass is getting.
Fungus
Excess moisture encourages fungi to grow. If you start seeing patches or rings of mushrooms, it’s possible you’re overwatering your lawn. This is especially likely if your lawn is fairly shaded, or if there is not a lot of air flow.
Pests
Lawns weakened by drought or overwatering are much more likely to see pest infestations and have a harder time recovering from pest damage. That’s why it’s important to invest in quality pest control.
Lawn Watering Guides
The needs of your lawn and plants will vary depending on the weather and time of year.
If you’re interested in learning more about lawn irrigation, check out these lawn watering guides from the K-State Extension. You can also explore the Johnson County Lawn Care Seasonal Guide for more information on other areas of lawn care.
Get the best lawn irrigation in Kansas City with Lifestyle Outdoor!
Lifestyle Outdoor brings years of experience to designing lawn irrigation systems for HOAs and private residents. We value building relationships with our customers and have a track record of complete client satisfaction. Our unbeatable service makes us the number one partner for HOA property maintenance.
We are proud to serve clients throughout Johnson County and the Kansas City Area. At Lifestyle Outdoor, we proudly specialize in bringing the vision of each unique HOA to life.
Reach out to learn more about the lawn irrigation services we provide or get a quote with our online quote tool. Discover the difference that THE white-glove service with a green thumb can make for your property today!