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Lawn Watering Tips
Why should I water?
Keeping your lawn thick, green and healthy means doing several things right. One of the most important is making sure there’s enough moisture to maintain growth.
Nature’s rainfall schedule is not dependable. Some additional watering is almost always necessary, at least during the hotter and dryer parts of the year to avoid water stress.
What happens if my lawn doesn’t get enough water?
Lawns turn brown, thin out, and run into more disease and insect problems when under drought stress. A thin, water-stressed lawn also creates room for weeds to invade. So whether you use underground or portable sprinklers, there are a few basic guidelines to follow to avoid these problems and maintain good lawn health.
Lawn Watering Tips
- Water deeply- meaning instead of watering every day, water as needed and aim for the equivalent of a ½” rain. **To know how much water you are putting out, simply put a rain gauge in an area you are watering and keep track of how long it takes to get ½” in the gauge. Now you know how long to water.**
- In hot, dry weather you may need to increase your watering to once every 2-3 days.
- Water extra along curbs and pavements because these areas heat up much more and dry out much faster.
- Grass areas under trees will turn yellow if they don’t receive extra water to compensate for the trees’ intake.
When is the best time to water a lawn?
The best time to water your lawn is between 4 am and 10 am. There are two main reasons for this:
- When watering in the early morning, you are making sure your water goes down to the roots instead of being lost to evaporation.
- Watering in the middle of the day causes your lawn to be scorched or have tip burn.
If you cannot water between 5 and 10 am, your next best option is to water between 6 and 8 pm. However, when evening temperatures drop and humidity rises, water in the soil may cause troublesome turf disease.
How do I know if my lawn is getting enough water?
Manual sprinklers and irrigation systems put out different amounts of water. How much water gets to the lawn is affected by the timer and the size (or diameter) of the hose you use, or the timer and size of sprinkler heads on an irrigation system. Most lawns need about an inch of water per week. (More is needed in sandy soils.) Set up your sprinkler and use pie pans or empty cans to check how much water is collected after 1 hour. If ½” is collected then water twice a week, adjust watering length and days watered accordingly.
How often and how long should I water?
We recommend if you are manually watering your lawn, do it approximately once every 2-3 days for about 1 hour in each location. This is better than frequent but brief watering because it allows the water to penetrate deeper into the root zone which in turn will cause the roots to grow deeper. In return fertilizer and other nutrients are better utilized which creates a greener, healthier turf and helps deter possible root rot fungus. When using an irrigation system, adjust watering times and the amount in accordance to the 1″ per week rule. *Remember to make adjustments when it rains.
For Educational Purpose Only
This page is for educational purpose only. Southern Lawn & Pest. is not responsible for damages or death to plants due to usage of this information. It is to be used as a general guideline which vary depending on the geographic region you live in, so results will vary from region to region. Remember, the best way to protect your investment is to seek professional advice for your lawn.