Should You Water Your Lawn Every Day

Once A Week At The Most

Grass only needs an inch of water per week to thrive.

Overwatering can result in shallow rooting. If there is a constant supply of moisture near the surface of the lawn, the roots dont need to grow as deeply.

This not only results in weak roots but the excess surface moisture can cause fungal infections and moss to spore.

The only time you should water more often is when you have laid new turf. In which case, the weather will dictate how often youd water.

Irrigate Using A Drip System

Achieving optimum results should be your focus during a heat wave. Weve all agreed that what should be increased is not the number of times the lawn is watered, but the depth at which it is watered.

For maximum result, go for a drip irrigation system. This will ensure that water gets down right into the base of the plants, rather than just settling on your blades or at the surface of the soil. It will also reduce the moisture thatll be lost due to evaporation.

How Long Should I Water Grass And How Often

How often should you water? Lets answer that with another question: what kind of soil do you have?

This is important to know, because typically you want to water sandy soils every three days or so, while clay soils only require water about once a week.

Not sure exactly what type of soil you have? No problem. There are many fairly easy ways to test it, including someDIY methods.

Just as important as frequency, you need to know how long to water your lawn each time you do it. Ideally, you want to keep the water running long enough for moisture to soak six inches deep into the soil.

Why? Simple. Thats how deep grass roots generally grow.

Whats not so simple is knowing how long it will take the water to soak down those six inches. Unfortunately, we have some bad news for you: every lawn is a bit different. How often and how much you should water depends on the makeup of your soil.

You can generalize, but the best way to know for sure is to turn on the water for your regularly scheduled watering, grab a shovel and dig up the topsoil after about 15 minutes. Youll be able to feel how far down the water has penetrated and gauge how long you need.

In some lawns, that first 15 minutes may be enough. Most, however, will probably need a bit longer.

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Watering Your Lawn Automatically

There are many different ways to efficiently and automatically water your lawn. There are a few factors you should take into account. Ask yourself the following questions: How much water will I need? How large an area do I need to cover? What shape is my lawn? Is there anything nearby that cant get wet?

Here are a few popular types of sprinklers to consider:

• In-ground sprinklers These systems can be expensive, but are highly efficient. The sprinkler heads pop up automatically to water, and pop right back down when the watering is done, delivering a precise amount of water.
• Pulsating sprinklers This type shoots out water horizontally in a powerful stream, covering a large area easily. Grassroots get the level of moisture they need quickly. However, the pulsing might be too intense for newly seeded or sodded lawns.
• Oscillating sprinklers These are a good alternative for newly seeded lawns, since the force of the water is weaker, and you still get good coverage.
• Hose-end sprinklers These traditional sprinklers are the most common and come in many different types.

Make sure your automatic sprinkler is doing its job, when it needs to do its job. If the forecast calls for a lot of rain, adjust the settings accordingly. Also, make sure it isnt pointed at the streetyou dont want to soak any passersby.

Stay Clear From Fertilizers During A Heat Wave

Synthetic fertilizers can do your turf a lot of harm during summer, especially if youre growing cold season grasses. When applied, your grasses are forced to grow and use more water.

This consumes more water and energy than heat waves actually allows them to produce. This can be really stressful and damaging for the lawn.

Also, during very high temperatures, synthetic fertilizers can lead to your grass burning if care is not taken.

If you must fertilize during a heat wave, make sure you go organic and natural. Slow-release organic fertilizer is a perfect alternative.

While cold season grasses are absolutely intolerant to synthetic fertilizers during heat waves, warm-season grasses may actually be fertilized during early or mid-summer, because at that point, the plants are still actively growing and can still repair easily whatever is damaged.

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My Lawn Has Been Starved Of Water While Weve Been Away How Can I Green It Up Again

Ideally, the soil needs to be irrigated to a depth of around 6. If your soil has dried out, we recommend in-depth irrigation for several hours to try and return moisture to the soil. The flow from the sprinkler should be slow to medium, to prevent surface saturation and run-off. A screwdriver can be used to test how far the soil has been sufficiently moistened.

If one session of a few hours has been insufficient, we recommend repeating again in a couple of days, unless the forecast calls for rain, which may do the job for you.

How Often To Water New Grass Seed

Before you cast out new grass seed, its important to start with watering. Nature designed seeds to respond to moisture, so it makes perfect sense that watering grass seed properly is imperative to kick-start the germination process that results in healthy growth.

Measuring the depth of water penetration is easy! Simply insert a long screw driver into the ground. If it pushes down 6 to 8 inches without much resistance, you have the proper water saturation.

Youll want to maintain moisture in the seeding area from this point on. Remember that if the seeds are allowed to dry out, they will die.

If youre not receiving any rainfall, youll want to water new grass seed twice per day until the top couple inches of soil are moist.

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How To Tell If Your Lawn Has Been Watered Enough

There are some simple tricks that will determine if a lawn is receiving enough water. First, does it look healthy? If it looks healthy, then it probably is which means stick to what you are doing. Another way to determine if your lawn needs to be watered is to submerge a screwdriver into the grass. If it easily sinks 6 to 7 inches, then your lawn is receiving an adequate amount of water each week. If not, it is probably time to make a change to your watering routine.

Be ready for changing weather and be aware of when a lawn needs more feeding and fertilizing. Give lawns an organic fertilizer and compost in fall and spring and cut back on watering when dry days turn to rainy ones.

If you see mushrooms growing in your grass, it is most likely due to overwatering. The best next step is to decrease the amount of watering until the mushrooms are gone.

Misconception #: The Best Time To Water My Lawn Is After The Sun Sets

While weve heard a lot of people in the Lehigh Valley or Buxmont, PA area say its best to water at night, the reverse is actually true.

The ideal time to water your lawn is just after the sun rises. At this time of day, its still cool and the water wont evaporate quicklybut it still gives the grass blades plenty of time to dry before the sun sets.

Wet, dark conditions create an ideal breeding ground for causing lawn disease that can damage your turf, so watering the lawn in the evening should be avoided.

If you cant find the time to water your lawn in the early morning, even with automated timers, then try to do it early enough during the day to allow grass blades to dry by nightfall. Mid-day watering wont hurt your lawn but you may need to do it longer as youll lose moisture to evaporation.

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How Much Water Does A Lawn Need

You might be surprised to know that your lawn doesnt need that much water to thrive and look its best.

The amount of water a lawn needs is dependant on several factors including

• The type of soil your grass grows in
• The species of grass your lawn is made up of
• How much sun or shade the lawn sits in

That said, as a good rule of thumb, an inch of water per week either from rain or irrigation is all a lawn needs to stay healthy and look good. This will soak into to top 6 inches of soil where most of the grasses roots grow.

How Much Water Does My Lawn Need

Many homeowners arent exactly sure how much water is necessary to keep plants thriving during the summer. Heres the short, frustrating answer: it depends.

What factors dictate your summer water requirements?

A few variables are your soil type, grass type and how much shade your lawn gets.

Generally speaking, lawns with more shade or clay soil dont need as much water. However, if your soil is porous and sandy, your lawn will probably need more water.

You can determine what kind of soil you have in your lawn by doing a test. There are a number of ways to do this, but Texas A& M will test your soil for no charge if you send in a sample.

Want a ballpark figure, just to get an idea? Most lawns need somewhere between three-quarters to one and a half inches each week to stay green and healthy.

Now, an even more important question: what does that mean in terms of how long and how often you should water?

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Consider Your Soil Type

If youre watering your lawn every three days for 30 minutes at a time and still not seeing results, the lawns soil may be to blame.

Lawns with coarse, sandy soil have large air spaces that let water pass quickly and should be watered more frequently for shorter durations. Heavier clay soils have smaller spaces that absorb and hold water longer and need less frequent deep watering.

To help support troubled turf, apply IFA Humate twice a year. The organic materials in this soil-activating treatment significantly increase the water-retention capacity of both sandy and clay soil, while also improving fertilizer efficiency.

Learn how the 3 key components in Humate improve the health of any plant!

How To Tell When Its Time To Water Your Lawn

A lawn that has dried out and needs watering will often fall dormant and turn a duller shade of green or even brown. Before reaching the dormancy stage, some types of grass will even begin to wilt or bow when they are in need of watering.

A screwdriver or a hand spade are also good tools for assessing the moisture in your lawn.

If it is difficult to get your tool into the ground, then it is very likely too dry. Do this test intermittently while watering to ensure that it has reached deep into the soil. Its best to saturate the soil with moisture to a depth of 6 to 8 inches when watering.

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When Using A Sprinkler

If youre using lawn sprinklers to water your lawns, you should always make sure that its hitting the right points. Its no good having a sprinkler that misses out, watering only half of your lawn. It needs at least 1 inch of water to make sure its soaked.

You should ensure that youre using the right type of irrigation system for your lawn care, as you dont want to damage it by using one thats too powerful. At the same time, you dont want to just dampen an established lawn by using a sprinkler thats not powerful enough. You should also make sure that the sprinkler heads you choose are suitable for your grass.

Oscillating sprinkler systems are gentle and are best used on a new lawn or when you have added grass seed to your lawn. A pulsating sprinkler system is great when used on an established lawn thats mature enough to handle the power thats given out from these types of sprinklers. Of course, the sprinkler system cost will probably be a major influence over which type of irrigation system you have.

How Can You Tell If A Lawn Needs Watering

Perform a footprint test where you take a step on the lawn and if your grass doesnt spring back, it needs water. Take a close look at the actual grass blades themselves and look for cupping of the leaves. Lastly, you can dig down into the soil with a screwdriver or similar and feel for moisture yourself.

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When Is The Best Time To Water Your Lawn In Cooler Weather

While longtime residents know that there are very definitively four seasons in the south, theyre not quite as distinct as the traditional seasons we learn about in school.

This is especially true where lawns are concerned. Generally speaking, we have a hot growing season and a cooler mostly dormant season.

Which begs the question: whats the best time to water grass in the fall and winter?

Yes and no.

Why the complicated answer? Most of the time the answer is yes , but in some situations, its a no.

How so?

Heres the thing. Most people in the south probably wont need to water their lawns over the cooler parts of the year. Even in low-rain areas, theres usually enough water to support the roots. During this time of year, thats really all you need.

However, if you experience a long period without rain and feel the need to give your lawn a little H2O pick-me-up, you should follow the advice abovewater in the early morning. Youll want to do this for all the reasons already mentioned. Even though the sun isnt as strong in cooler weather, it still helps to evaporate the water.

How Long Should You Water Your Lawn After Fertilizing

The fertilizer and soil should be thoroughly moist, but dont water so much that the water begins to form puddles. About 20 minutes should do the trick. You dont want to wash away all those good nutrients or let the fertilizer get carried away by the water, where it could contaminate groundwater and nearby streams, ponds or rivers. If youre using hoses and sprinklers to water after fertilizing, not an irrigation system, be sure you move them around to provide nice, even coverage over all areas of your lawn.

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How Long Does Grass Seed Take To Grow

How long it will take for your new grass seed to begin to grow really depends on where you live, your climate and what type of grass you plant. It can take anywhere between 3 and 28 days for new grass seed to begin to grow.

A beautiful, vibrant lawn not only looks great, but it also provides a place for you and your family to play, relax and enjoy. A consistent water schedule for watering new grass seed is key to making sure youre growing a healthy, lush green lawn that will give you years of enjoyment and beauty.

When The Grass Is Growing

The growing season for most grass types is generally during the spring and fall months. These months are part of the warm season without being too hot, and the morning dew still appears on the lawn at times. This is when your type of grass will thrive, and it needs the most care and attention.

If you are planting grass seed, the best time to do this would be in spring. This will give the seeds time to start growing before the hot summer heat kicks in.

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How Long To Water New Grass Seed

How long to water new grass seed depends on your soil conditions and your sprinkler setup. In general, ten minutes of watering per session will provide enough water to keep the top couple inches of soil moist.

As your new grass seed grows and flourishes, you can water deeper and less frequently this will encourage established grass roots to extend deeply into the soil. When watering grass seedlings, gradually increase your morning watering sessions over time, while decreasing your evening watering. Eventually, youll want to water between 6 and 10 am, while the weather is still cool. An established lawn typically requires about 1 inch of water per week, including rainfall.

Use the chart below to help you plan out your ideal watering schedule: