What To Do When Your Lawn Is In The Shade Or Sun
Every lawn is different, and your grass will respond to your layout, grass type, and climate. Most grass should be watered in the morning before 10 am, whether it is in the shade or the sun. If you are worried about keeping a watering schedule, consider getting a water timer. Grass that is in shady areas should not be overwatered or left soggy at night because of the increased risk of disease. Sunny areas are more likely to lose more water to evaporation and may need more frequent watering.
Overall, remember that grass growing in the shade and the sun both need enough time to lose any excess moisture. You want the root systems of your turf to get adequate moisture, but not end up drowning in water because of negligence or overcompensation. When in doubt, choose to water your lawn at varying intervals within the week and allow enough moisture to penetrate the roots. Check on grass that is shaded by trees or shrubbery, and dont overlook a lawn that is constantly in full sun to ensure balance.
When To Water The Lawn
If you find your lawn has taken on a grayish cast or appears to be dull green, its telling you that it needs water. You can also check your lawn by walking on it: If your footprints dont disappear quickly, its because the grass blades dont have the needed moisture to spring back. While it may seem like you can head out to water your lawn anytime during the day, your lawn actually needs more specific care. Watering in the morning is the best time for your lawn its cooler and winds tend to be calmer so water can soak into the soil and be absorbed by the grass roots before it can evaporate. If you must water in the evening, try between 4 and 6 p.m. which should give the grass blades time to dry before nightfall. The later you water, the greater chance of disease becoming prevalent in your lawn. Its worth noting, though, that you dont necessarily have to water your lawn. Lawns are resilient. Established and properly cared-for lawns can survive weeks without water by going dormant , then recover once the rain returns.
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How Long Should I Water The Lawn
You should water your lawn once or twice a week, giving your grass 1 to 1.5 inches of water each time. The precise number of minutes for each watering will vary from lawn to lawn, depending on factors like the size of your lawn, the type of sprinkler you have, and its settings.
Here are a few methods for finding the number of minutes you should water your lawn.
- Do a can test: Tuna cans are 1 inch tall, and work best for this method. Empty one out, and set it in an area that your sprinkler hits. Turn your sprinkler on, and check the can periodically to see how long it takes to get ½ of an inch of water in there. You can use that to find how many minutes you need to water either once or twice a week.
- Break it down mathematically: Your sprinkler system will have a designated flow rate of gallons per minute, which you can find out from the manufacturer. To find out the number of minutes to run your sprinkler, multiply your lawns square footage by 0.62 gallonswhich is 1 inch of water per square footthen divide that total by the sprinkler flow rate.
- Look at a flow timer: Youll need a timer that measures flow in hundreds of gallons. Multiply the square footage of your lawn by 0.62 gallons, and that will tell you how many gallons you need to give your lawn the water it needs.
Should You Water Your Lawn If So How Often
There are many different things you can do to get your lawn looking its best, from weed and feed treatments, regular mowing and even talking to your grass will help it to grow. No really talking helps your plants grow.
But the one key ingredient for your lawn or any plant is WATER. Without it plants will not survive, and even your very resilient little grass blades can die off if left too long without a good drink.
But what if its rained a lot or if there is rain due? Can you over water your grass and whats the best way to do it?
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How Long Should You Water Your Lawn
In most cases, watering your lawn once or twice a week with one to 1.5 inches of water each time will be sufficient for healthy lawn growth. The exact amount of time in minutes you should water your lawn will depend on the output of your sprinkler system.
You can determine the amount of water your sprinkler puts out per hour with a couple of different methods. The first method requires placing a handful of same-sized containers throughout a section of your lawn and running your sprinkler system for 15 minutes. Measure the water depth in each container with a ruler and find the average amount in inches. Next, multiply the amount by four to find the average amount of water your sprinkler puts out every hour.
Alternatively, you can add a flow timer to some sprinkler systems to track the flow. Then, use the historical flow data to learn how much water your lawn receives and adjust your settings accordingly.
How Do I Know If My Lawn Has Enough Water
Lawns that are adequately hydrated are happy and healthy with a green and vibrant look. But the health benefits of a well-watered lawn go beyond its beauty: properly watering a lawn keeps it strong against weeds and insects. Moreover, regular deep watering of any lawn encourages robust root systems.
There is a simple way to test if your lawn is thirsty to be sure your yard has enough water. To measure this, walk through your grass. If the grass bounces back quickly, your lawn has had enough to drink. If instead, your grass remains lying down from your footprints, youve got a thirsty lawn that needs regular deep soakings of water. However, if your lawn is dry and thirsty, make sure to not overwater it.
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How Often Should I Water My Lawn
Lawns are much more delicate than they appear. Finding the right balance for watering is a critical element in helping your grass grow green and healthy. Both under-watering and overwatering can be dangerous for your lawn. Under-watering your lawn can cause bare patches and even thinning or dead grass. Lawns that have been overwatered are susceptible to lawn disease and fungus, such as root rot.
A healthy lawn needs approximately 1-1.5 inches of water per week to thrive, especially in hotter climates like Houston, Texas in the summer months. Heres a few more Summer lawn care tips for Houston residents.
How Long To Water Grass Everything You Need To Know
The average lawn needs a minimum of 1-inch of water per week to thrive. You can choose to water your grass lightly 10 to 15 minutes a day or do an intense weekly watering for an hour or longer until the lawn is fully watered.
Watering your lawn with a hose is not the best way to maintain a healthy lawn. Hose-based watering is more expensive than sprinklers or drip irrigation, and it can be difficult to control weeds and other pests that may be present in your yard.
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About Green Bee Lawn Care
Green Bee Lawn Care is your reliable, family-owned Houston Lawn Care Company. We offer professional lawn care services to customers in the Houston, Texas and surrounding areas. We pride ourselves on providing a one-stop shop for all of your lawn care needs including, weed control, lawn fertilization, aeration, seeding, fire ant control, tree & shrub care, mosquito spraying, and more.
Love lawns as much as we do? Browse our lawn care blog for more helpful lawn tips and information.
How Much Water Should I Use
Remember that you dont need to worry about watering every day. Grass needs about an inch to an inch and a half of water each week, either from rainfall or irrigation.
Water the lawn until the top six or eight inches of soil is wet, which should give the grass the inch of water it needs. You can apply this inch in a single session or spaced out over two half-inch watering sessions during the week.
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Focus On What Needs Attention
Giving your flowers, shrubs, and trees the same amount of water that you give your grass. Different plants have different water requirements. Treating them all the same means one will be happy, and the others will hate you. Owners of in-ground sprinkler systems: Create zones that are tailored to different areas of your landscape, your plants and grass will thank you.
Watering the grass every single day for 15 minutes. This turns grass into a shallow-rooted, water-guzzling lawn needing its daily gulp just to soldier on. Instead of watering shallowly every day for 15 minutes, water deeply once a week for an hour or so . You can also look into treating your water if you are a fanatic like me. Check out some Water Softener Reviews, choose what you need, and your grass will never be greener. Your lawn will be healthier and more drought-tolerant. It will also have fewer loathsome weeds like dollarweed and nutgrass that thrive in overwatered lawns.
How Often To Water Newly Planted Grass
When watering a newly seeded lawn, keep the top layer of soil consistently moist but not soggy. Mist the seeded area one or more times a day.
Then, once the seeds start to germinate, make sure the top 5 cm of soil is moist until the grass reaches around 8 cm. After that, you can water deeply two times a week, which will encourage the roots to grow down farther.
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What To Do When There Are Restrictions On Water Usage
If you live in a region where there are water restrictions, consider planting drought-resistant grass types that require less watering. Choose to alter your irrigation schedule so your grass gets used to infrequent watering, and can better tough things out. You can help your lawn adjust by changing the watering schedule gradually over a couple of weeks. During hotter weather or in more arid conditions, keep grass blades high to increase shade and encourage deeper root systems. Avoid fertilization, which readily depletes water and promotes stress.
Existing Shrubs And Annuals:
Water existing shrubs 2-3 times per week for approximately 15 minutes per spray zone and 30-60 minutes for drip zones. If you have a lot of annuals, you may have to increase watering frequency. Annuals may need to be watered as much as daily or every other day. However, reduce zone running times to 5-10 minutes for sprays, and 20-30 minutes for drip zones.
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Varying Turf Types And Water Needs
The turf type you install on a lawn will also dictate the frequency and duration of water. Some of our ground covers and sod mixes are specially cultivated to tolerate drought conditions such as Kurapia ground cover, our Hybrid Tall Fescue with Bluegrass 9010 Mix, Bolero Plus sod, West Coaster Tall Fescue, and Enduro Dwarf Tall Fescue sod. Other turf types in our selection naturally require less watering like our Native grass options including our most popular Native grass, Native Mow Free sod, or Native No Mow sod. Knowing how much water your sod lawn will need after the rooting and establishment period largely depends on which grass you have chosen. One thing to consider is that for the most part, all grasses will need at least 1″ on water weekly.
Sod samples and turf types laid out for in-house stress testing at the Sod and Seed, Inc. storefront.
Other Factors Of Lawn Irrigation
Determining how much to water the lawn, how often to water, and how long to water are questions you can answer only when you take into account your soil, grass species, and weather.
A healthy lawn needs good soil, just like a garden. Your lawn soil should be well aerated with at least 4 to 5 percent organic matter. If your lawn struggles despite your best efforts, test your soil. Your local Cooperative Extensive Service can assist you.
A wide variety of species can be grown for lawns. Choose the type best suited for your region’s weather conditions. Some types are more drought tolerant, thanks to deeper root systems.
Cool, wet weather gives you a break from lawn irrigation tasks. If you have a sprinkler system set on an automatic timer, check it frequently so you can turn it off during times it’s not needed.
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Watering Different Types Of Lawns
During the first year of your lawns growth, whether it’s a newly seeded, sodded, sprigged, or plugged lawn, don’t rely solely on Mother Nature to do the watering. Additional irrigation should always be provided.
When watering a newly seeded lawn, the key is to keep the top inch of soil consistently moist but not soggy. You will likely need to mist the seeded area once or twice a day . Once the seeds start to germinate, continue to keep the top 2 inches of soil moist until the new grass reaches a mowing height of around 3 inches. After that, begin to cut back watering to twice per week and soak the soil deeper, about 6 to 8 inches, to encourage the grass roots to grow down deep into the soil.
Watering A New Sod Lawn
Rooting and Establishment Period
The most important thing to know about watering your new sod lawn is that after it is installed, it will go through a rooting and establishment period and it needs to be kept moist during this time. What this means is that the small, cream-colored roots you see on the bottom of each sod roll need to grow down into your soil to establish a strong rooting system. . Think of it this way, what will dry faster, your wet shoelace or a twisted towel? The shoestring! It’s thinner and holds less moisture that needs to be evaporated while the twisted towel holds more water. Similarly, the small roots on each sod roll will quickly and easily dry out if the lawn is not kept moist while they grow into a bigger rooting system that can retain more water at a time. You will water a new sod lawn more the first few weeks, so be sure to keep your new sod lawn moist!
Note the tender, young roots in this sod roll.
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When To Turn The Sprinklers On
Reasons for watering your lawn include:
To Aid Recovery After Invasive Treatments
If you have
- Sowing a new lawn from seed, or
- Overseeding as part of repair or renovation
The lawn will need water in order for the new grass seed to germinate, aid with root establishment and turfs to knit together.
Watering is the most important task when it comes to establishing a new lawn. Its the only time you should water several times a week.
In Hot, Dry Weather
Depending on the type of soil your lawn grows in, the species of grass you have, exposure to sun or how much shade the lawn is covered by will all have an impact on when youll need to water.
For example, lawns with deep rooting fescues are more drought-resistant than shallower rooting ryegrasses.
During hot, dry spells, some lawns can look good for several weeks, others might need watering weekly.
So, look out for signs that your lawn needs water. These include
- The grass losing its green colour and starting to turn yellow
- It loses its springiness and your footprints stay in the lawn after youve walked on it instead of springing back up
- The soil starts to shrink and crack
To Avoid Fungal Diseases Like Dry Patch
Sometimes soil can become very hard to re-wet after it dries out. Fungal diseases like Dry Patch occur during dry spells and coat the soil particles in a water-repellent layer.
Other Reasons
As I said, there are many reasons for watering a lawn, not just the ones listed above.
