The Daily Show

With more days in a row over 30 Celsius than we've had in 70 years, it amazes me the number of homeowners I see on a daily basis with their sprinklers on in the middle of the day.

Please don't do this. 

First; a substantial portion of your watering efforts are lost to evaporation. Secondly; you run a greater risk of burning your lawn in these excessive temperatures. And, third; depending on your timing you can promote turf disease.

The recommended time for watering is early morning when the lawn can dry more evenly and the temperatures are more bearable.

Also, if a lawn is emerald green during this stretch of weather, I would bet it is being watered too much.

While it may be more aesthetically pleasing, it is not necessarily beneficial for the overall health of the grass. Watering daily creates a lazy lawn where the root zone is not forced to delve deeper for water sources making it more susceptible to weed and insect infestation.

A similar green can be achieved by watering deeply once, or at excessive times like these, twice a week while leaving the mower height at 3 1/2 inches, which is approximately above your ankle. 

If you still need to have the absolute green, then consider over-seeding with clover. Clover is more drought tolerant, feeds nitrogen into your lawn, does not need to be mowed frequently, and due to its horizontal root system, is avoided by damaging insects, most notably Chinch bugs who love the heat.

If you adopt all these practices, you may still have some heat stress in high-sun areas and places close to heat sources like pavement and patio stones, but in the long run, your lawn will be much healthier in its recovery.