ENVIRONMENT

High temperatures? Time to turn on the sprinklers

May 28, 2025, 8:02 PM

Watering lawn...

(Canva)

(Canva)

SALT LAKE CITY — If you haven’t started watering your lawn yet, experts say it’s time to do so.

According to KSL Greenhouse Host and Utah State University Extension Horticulturist Taun Beddes, you typically have to turn on the sprinkler sometime between late May and early June.

“They normally go dormant in the summer because it’s too hot,” Beddes said. “… This time of year, we’re in the 80s to low 90s, (watering) twice a week is going to be sufficient.”

But with this 90-degree heat wave in store, he said you might want to water it an extra time or at least spot-water any patches that are going brown.

“If it hasn’t received moisture in the last week or so, then as soon as we hit 90 (degrees), it will go dormant really fast.”

However, brown doesn’t mean dead. Beddes said grass can still survive a month to six weeks without any water. So as long as you give your lawn at least an inch of water per month, it will make it through until fall.

And if you would like the watering process to be a bit more convenient, smart controllers are widely available.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

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High temperatures? Time to turn on the sprinklers