Watering your lawn may seem like a simple task. But knowing how and when to do so can mean the difference between achieving a green, healthy lawn and brown, dying grass.
All living things need water to survive, and your lawn is not an exception. You may think that having the best expandable hose, sprinkler, and quality garden hose reel is enough to grow beautiful, lush grass. But in reality, there’s a lot more than merely having such tools to make sure that you are doing it right.
Timing is critical when it comes to lawn watering, and excessive water can be as harmful as too little water. If you wonder or have ever asked the question, “how often should I water my lawn,” this article is for you. We will also discuss some essential considerations you need to make when watering your lawn.
Watering Tips for Effective Lawn Care
Before delving deeper into the frequency of lawn watering, it’s essential first to go back to the fundamentals. Here are some of the best practices you need to know to achieve optimal results.
When to water
During early morning hours, generally, before 10 am, are the best time to water your lawn. The wind is not too strong during these cool morning hours to blow the water away. Also, since these are the coolest times of the day, it minimizes evaporation, which means less water is wasted.
Watering early in the day allows the turfgrass blades to dry more quickly as the sun rises. This reduces the likelihood of bacteria-buildup caused by prolonged moisture. A wet lawn at night is also an ideal condition for the growth of fungi.
How much water needed
The amount of water you should give your grass depends on how much rainfall it receives during the week. But it is always a good idea to provide your lawn with about one to two inches of water each week. Just keep in mind that it is best for grass to have a completely wet root zone every time you water it.
Your lawn management practices can also affect the amount of water it will require. You can save water by reducing soil compaction, mowing, and using a lawn fertilizer.
How to know if your lawn receives enough water
You don’t want to drown your grass, but underwatering your lawn is not good either. Therefore, you need to water it properly and ensure that you are giving it enough liquids.
If your lawn looks healthy, you can stick to what you’re doing because it means it is receiving enough water. However, if you notice that the grass is turning yellow or rotting, it might be a sign for you to change your watering routine.
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Of course, you don’t want to wait until your grass starts dying before you do something with your watering practices. One way to know how deep you’ve watered is to use a long screwdriver or a soil probe.
Submerge a screwdriver into the grass. It will easily slide through wet soil but will be hard to push through any dry soil. If the screwdriver easily sinks six or seven inches to a maximum of ten-inch depth, then your lawn receives an adequate amount of water every week. On the other hand, if you cannot stick the screwdriver six inches deep into the soil, it needs more water.
How Often Should You Water Your Lawn?
In general, you should water long enough for the soil to get wet to about six inches. It is the typical depth of a healthy grass-root system, and it takes about an inch of water to hydrate typical lawns properly to that depth.
However, daily lawn watering can be damaging to the grass. Too much water can be problematic because it flushes nutrients from the soil, causes lawns to struggle with poor color, and leads to insect infestations.
If you are wondering, “how often should I water my lawn?” it is necessary to note that the frequency of watering depends on several factors. These include:
Grass types
Cool-season grass like fescue, rye, and bluegrass, actively grows in the fall. Although cool temperatures during fall keep evaporation rates low, these types of grass still require at least an inch of water weekly until frost ends the growing season. During dry and hot periods, the turf needs light, frequent watering every week.
Warm-season turfgrass, such as Bermuda grass and zoysia, thrive when the air temperature is over eighty degrees. These grass types need regular mowing and watering, but they require less water than the cool-season ones. Overall, your location determines how regularly you should water your lawn because of the differences in summer and rainfall weather conditions.
Using the right type of grass for your location can make water management less expensive and easier. Keep in mind that grass types vary significantly in their drought resistance and water requirements.
Soil types
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The type of soil also affects the amount of water your lawn needs. Among the common soil types – sand, loam, and clay – clay soil needs less watering because of its ability to remain the most water. But since water seeps into this soil slower than others, water must be given at a lower rate over a long period.
Sandy soil may hold less water, but it also doesn’t need much water to get wet. Therefore, watering it may take less time, but it must be done frequently. On the other hand, loam soil lies between sand and clay soil in its ability to retain water. It requires and retains a moderate amount of water after irrigation.
New lawn seed
Newly planted seeds or turf and well-established old grass have different nutrition and water requirements. Therefore, you should not rely on your previous lawn experience and assume that the same watering schedule would work on your new grass.
Newly seeded lawns require nutritious soil and moist to germinate, and they would struggle to take root if the soil does not have the proper balance. You simply need to keep the soil moist by sprinkling small amounts of water about two to three times a day. Touch the soil before adding water to check if it is too dry.
Always consider the age of your lawn when trying to determine how regularly you should water it. A newly seeded lawn needs a gentler touch, whereas fully-grown lawns can handle more powerful sprays.
In Summary
A beautiful and healthy lawn is an adequately watered one. Therefore, make sure you know when, how much, and how often you should water it for optimal results. You should also be mindful of the dangers of under- and overwatering as well, as they could lead to damaging consequences.