Summer Watering in Fort Worth: Getting Through the Heat on Two Days a Week

Fort Worth summers are long and hot, and the twice-a-week watering schedule applies all summer. Many homeowners worry that two days is not enough to keep a lawn alive through July and August. For most established lawns on a system in good repair, it is. The key is watering deeply and efficiently on the days you have. This article explains how.

The Rules in Summer

Fort Worth’s year-round watering rules do not change in summer:

• Residential addresses ending in an even number water on Wednesday and Saturday.
• Addresses ending in an odd number water on Thursday and Sunday.
• No irrigation on Monday.
• No irrigation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• No runoff, no broken or misaligned heads and no watering during rain.

Hand watering, drip irrigation, soaker hoses and tree bubblers are allowed at any time. Our guide to Fort Worth’s watering schedule explains the details.

Water Deeply, Not Lightly

With two days a week, each watering has to reach the root zone. Short, light watering only wets the top of the soil, where it evaporates quickly in the heat. Deep watering encourages roots to grow down, where soil stays cooler and moister. Use the screwdriver test the day after watering: a long screwdriver should slide several inches into moist soil.

Our guide on how long to run each zone explains how to find the right run times.

Start Early

Early morning is the best time to water in summer. Air is cooler, wind is usually calmer and less water evaporates. Grass dries as the day warms, which helps limit disease. Set your start time so all zones finish before 10 a.m. If you have many zones or use cycle and soak, you may need to start shortly after midnight.

Use Cycle and Soak on Clay

Summer heat makes clay soil harder and more prone to runoff at the start of a cycle. Splitting run times into shorter cycles with soak time between them gets more water into the soil. Our guide to cycle and soak scheduling walks through it.

Fix Problems Before They Show

In summer, a broken head or a dead zone shows up as brown grass within days. Walk the system every couple of weeks on a watering morning. Look for:

• Broken or missing heads
• Clogged nozzles
• Heads blocked by grass or plants
• Dry spots between heads
• Runoff

Fixing a coverage gap is far more effective than raising run times for the whole zone. Our guide to sprinkler head repair covers common fixes.

Mow High

Taller grass shades the soil, keeps roots cooler and reduces evaporation. In summer, mow at the higher end of the recommended range for your grass. Keep mower blades sharp; torn grass loses more water.

Signs of Heat and Drought Stress

• A bluish-gray tint to the lawn
• Footprints that stay visible after walking across it
• Leaf blades that fold or curl
• Brown patches in full sun, near concrete or on slopes

Stress in one area usually points to a coverage problem in that spot. Stress across the whole lawn may mean run times need to go up.

Hand Watering Hot Spots

Areas next to driveways, walks and south- or west-facing walls heat up and dry out faster. A quick hand watering between assigned days can carry them through. If the same spot always needs extra, look at the heads covering it.

Trees and Beds in Summer

Trees, shrubs and beds often suffer in summer even when the lawn looks fine. Deep watering with drip, soaker hoses or bubblers, which are allowed at any time, helps them through the heat. Our article on hand watering, drip and soaker hoses covers the rules.

Dormancy Is an Option

Bermuda and zoysia can go partly dormant in extreme heat and drought and recover when conditions improve. St. Augustine is less tolerant of long dry spells. If your lawn browns during the worst of summer despite reasonable watering, it may be protecting itself rather than dying. Our article on watering St. Augustine, Bermuda and zoysia explains each grass.

Avoid Common Summer Mistakes

• Adding extra watering days, which violates the schedule
• Running zones in the afternoon, which is not allowed and wastes water
• Raising run times everywhere to fix one dry spot
• Fertilizing heavily in the heat, which increases water demand
• Ignoring runoff, which wastes water and counts as a violation

Plan for Vacations

Summer travel is when many systems run unattended for a week or two. Before you leave, run each zone briefly and check for broken heads, so a geyser does not run twice a week while you are away. Make sure the rain sensor is active. If your controller supports it, or if you have a smart controller, you can check the system from your phone while you are gone. Ask a neighbor to glance at the yard on a watering morning and let you know if water is running into the street. For new plantings, set up a drip line or soaker hose on a timer so they get water while you are gone.

When to Call a Technician

If parts of your lawn keep burning out, or your system has leaks, broken heads or poor coverage, our sprinkler repair service can fix it so your two watering days go further.