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Follow This Water Rule If You Have Spotted Spurge Weeds On Your Lawn
By KALEIGH BRILLON
Spotted spurge, often seeming to appear overnight during the brutal summer heat, actually grows slowly throughout the season, becoming more noticeable in dirt patches later on.
Watering deeply and infrequently, contrary to the daily routine, helps prevent spurge and other weeds by fostering a deeper root system in your lawn, ensuring its good health.
The University of California advises watering to moisten 6-8 inches of soil, allowing for longer intervals between watering sessions until the top several inches are dry again.
How long you can wait to water will depend on factors, like sun exposure, temperatures, and other stressors your lawn may experience, with the biggest one being the root length.
Young grass with shallow roots can’t wait until 6 inches are dry if the roots only reach down to 2 inches. Ideally, the older your grass is, the longer you can wait.
Signs that your grass needs water include wilting leaves that develop a greyish-blue tint and lasting footprints — footprints in a healthy lawn should spring back into place.
Aerate and water dirt patches with the lawn to improve water penetration and foster deeper root development, effectively preventing patch formation and outcompeting spotted spurge.