How Often Should You Water Your Lawn In The Summer
In Lawn & Garden by JamieMay 15, 2021
Temperatures are rising. The rainy season is over, or yet to begin. Its now up to you to keep your lawn happy and healthy with regular irrigation. But how much water should you be giving your grass? And how can you keep your water bill low?
You should water your lawn in the summer deeply every 3 days for warm-season grasses, and for cool-season grasses, lightly every 3 days for sandy soil, and deeply every 1 2 weeks for loam and clay. Track rainfall and adjust the amount of water accordingly. You can also let cool-season grasses go dormant and water them only once every two or three weeks.
Contents
How Often Should A Hydroseeded Lawn Be Watered
Watering a hydroseeded lawn occurs in two stages: the first four to six weeks and after the first six weeks. The amount of water needed in these two time frames is drastically different, so this guide will treat them as two stages. Below this section, we included a few watering tips so you can provide your hydroseed lawn with the best care possible.
How Much Water To Use
When watering an established lawn, its typically recommended to water until the top 6 to 8 inches of soil is wet. Most lawns need 1 to 1.5 inches of water per weekeither from rain or wateringto soak the soil that deeply. That amount of water can either be applied during a single watering or divided into two waterings during the week. Just be sure not to overwater your lawn.
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Ignoring Your Grass Needs
Taking a lawns age into consideration is important. A fully-grown lawn can handle a more powerful spray, whereas newly seeded lawns need a gentler touch. If you only have a small area of newly planted seeds, a Stationary Square Sprinkler works well for gentle spot-watering, while an Adjustable Length Wind-Resistant Rectangular Sprinkler can cover a bigger area.
For a sprinkler that will grow along with the grass, try the Circular Sprinkler Spike with on/off switch. The diffuser pin allows for a customized force of spray, from a steady shower for new grass to a more powerful stream for mature lawns.
How Long Should I Water My Lawn In The Summer
Between irrigation and natural rainfall, your grass should receive between 1 and 1.5 inches of water each week during the summer. Water deeply every other day for the best results. Your turf should receive about 1/3 an inch of water every two days in order to maintain deeper roots, thus helping protect against drought.
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Proper Watering Is Key To A Successful Overseeding Lawn
Fall is the optimal time to reseed a lawn. The cooler temperatures and break from the summer drought create ideal conditions for success. Even with ideal conditions, proper watering is critical to successful overseeding. The following is a recommended watering regimen.
Water heavily immediately after overseeding. This will jump start the seed germination and help bring the seed into better contact with the soil.
For the first 10-14 days , water lightly daily being sure to soak the first inch of soil.
Back off to fewer waterings once the grass seed has germinated but be sure to water deeper into the soil. This will encourage deeper root growth.
Always water in the morning. This will allow the grass blades to dry completely, preventing disease issues.
Patience is key. Proper watering will result in better seed germination and a healthier lawn.
Find An Ifa Country Store Near You
Information for this article was provided by Aaron Jaussi, Branch Manager, Provo IFA Country Store Tina Potter, Utah Certified Nurseryman, Washington State Certified Nursery Professional , & Lawn & Garden Dept., Ogden IFA Country Store and Ken Holt, Lawn & Garden Category Manager, IFA Country Store
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Best Time To Water The Lawn In Tennessee And Mississippi
The timing of when you water is a critical factor. Though a lot of homeowners come home and decide to water after work, this can be problematic, particularly if night temperatures are over 65 degrees.
Thats because sunlight isnt available to allow for the lawn to naturally dry up excessive moisture as it would throughout the day. The combination of moisture and heat can lead to fungal growth overnight.
Turf disease develops from an interaction between a susceptible plant, a disease-producing organism and an environment favorable for the disease-causing organism to grow. This is known as the turf disease triangle.
However, watering in the middle of the day, when the sun is its strongest, can also be problematic. Too much water will evaporate before allowing the roots to take in what they need.
Because of all that, the ideal time to water the lawn is early in the morning just at sunrise or immediately beforehand. Your lawn roots will get a nice soaking before allowing the sun to naturally evaporate any excessive moisture off of leaf blandse before nightfall.
Should You Water Grass Every Day When It’s Hot
Between irrigation and natural rainfall, your grass should receive between 1 and 1.5 inches of water each week during the summer. Water deeply every other day for the best results. Your turf should receive about 1/3 an inch of water every two days in order to maintain deeper roots, thus helping protect against drought.
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Should I Water My Grass Everyday
An overwatered garden can be extra vulnerable to garden illnesses. Lawns want roughly 1 to 2 inches of water every week in an effort to keep wholesome and inexperienced. You do not should be watering your garden each day, however as a substitute simply want to make sure that it is getting its weekly 1 to 2 inches of water with about 2-3 waterings per week.
How Long Should I Water My Lawn
If you want the most accurate answer for how long you should be setting your sprinklers to run, you can follow these steps:
- Put some small cans out on your lawn in each watering zone.
- Run your sprinklers in each zone for 15 minutes.
- Measure the water depth for each zone by checking the amount of water in the cans.
- Multiply that number by four to determine the hourly precipitation rate. For example, if you have one and a half inches of water, you would multiply that number by fifteen to get 6 inches per hour.
- Select the station thats closest to you on Texas A& Ms online tool.
- Select Home Owner on the next screen.
- Fill out the Home Owner Calculator that pops up. For Step 3, use the hourly precipitation rate you measured using your cans.
- Hit Calculate and you will be given the total run time and the run time per irrigation station, depending on how many times per week you plan to run your sprinklers.
Want an example?
Lets say you have a lawn that receives full sun, has St. Augustine grass and got very little rainfall in the last week. Using the weather evapotranspiration data in the online tool, you would need to run your sprinklers for a total of 41 minutes each week. So, if you water twice a week, that would be 21.5 minutes each time .
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Watering Lawns In Spring & Rainy Seasons
Rainy areas or rainy seasons like springtime are a great opportunity for planting new grass or sod. All of the moisture available is great for new lawns.
During this time of year it is easier to establish your lawn following the dormant period, stimulate root growth, and fill in any bald patches without having to be a slave to a watering schedule thanks to Mother Nature.
Conserve When You Can
Both for the health of your lawn, and your water bill, weve got some on how to conserve water when watering your lawn. Keep automatic sprinkler systems maintained and properly set. A broken sprinkler head that shoots a stream of water into the street doesnt do anyone any good, nor does one that runs during a rainstorm. Additionally, trees can be damaged from lawn watering that leaves their trunks wet over time or does not allow their roots to stretch out and grow between waterings.
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When To Water Your New Turf
Water as soon as you have laid your turf. For a large lawn, you might want to have the sprinkler working on a laid section while you are working on the next bit.
You are encouraging roots to sink deep into the soil so thetop 10cm of soil needs to be wet.
Its vital that you water your new turf every single day. Even if it rains you must check that the soil beneath your lawn is damp enough. On very hot days you may need to water more than once a day.
Best practice says that you should water either first thing in the morning or late in the evening. The reason for this is that the air is cooler and the water is less likely to evaporate away. In other words, most of the water will go down into the soil, not up into the sky. Personally I like to water in the evening, its a nice relaxing way to end the day and it seems as though the plants grow overnight.
From 2nd Day To 6 Week
Because this type of lawn is a mixture of seeds and mulch, you must water the lawn every day, two to three times a day. Do not water the hydroseed lawn on the first day start on the 2nd day. Every single section of the lawn requires intense watering for 10 to 15 minutes. It is not enough to lightly spray the mulch mixture for a few minutes and then end the watering session.
If you have a lawn that is one flat area with no corners or turns, purchase a sprinkler with a wide radius. The sprinklers need to spray water beyond the corners of the lawn to ensure proper watering. Do this diligently for four to six weeks, and once the time passes, you can switch to the next watering schedule.
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Leave Your Clippings In Place
Some people remove their grass clippings because it makes the lawn look cleaner. This isnt the best thing for your yard if you want to keep it healthy. Why? Your clippings will break down and provide nutrients for the soil and plants.
Some people like to mulch instead of doing this, but its really up to you. Just make sure youre not removing and tossing clippings and leaves. Your lawn and plants need them, and your city would prefer to keep these items out of a landfill!
How Often Should You Water Your Lawn
Everything living requires hydration to survive, including your lawn. You need to water your lawn to keep it healthy and strong, but it can be difficult to gauge how often you should be watering it and how much water your lawn actually needs.
The weather is always changing, but weve reached a time of year where the precipitation is few and far between, so watering your lawn becomes especially important. You also want to make sure you do so efficiently, in case we run into a stretch with no rain and receive some water-use restrictions from the government.
So, to learn how frequently you should water your lawn, you need to consider several factors.
We want to ensure your lawn gets the best care possible, so if you have any other questions or concerns about how to water your lawn, our team of professionals would be happy to assist you.
We offer services to keep your lawn healthy and thriving through the summer season, so call us today to book a consultation with one of our experts and get started on your summer lawn care.
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What Time Of Day Is Best For Watering
It is best to water your lawn very early in the morning around 5 am before the sun is up. This give the grass time to absorb the water before the heat of the day hits.
If you water during the day while the sun is out, the sun will burn off a lot of the water before it gets to the roots. Also, the droplets that are left on the blades of grass can act like a magnifying glass and burn the blades. This is the last thing you would want to happen.
The reason you should not water at night is because the water will sit on the grass overnight which encourages fungi to grow. Fungi can infect your lawn with a disease called leaf spots. This is very unattractive.
Install Drip Lines And Rain Gauge
To ensure your entire yard is getting enough water, install drip irrigation lines for trees, shrubs and gardens, and install a rain gauge.
Drip irrigation is a great way to ensure smaller plants still receive deep watering without the risk of being overwatered by a sprinkler.
Likewise, a rain gauge will tell how much water the yard is receiving from rain and may even help you save on your water bill!
Remember to apply IFA 4-Step Fertilizer to give your grass the nutrients it needs and to mow regularly enough to keep grass blades at roughly three inches in length. As always, stop by your local IFA Country Store for more tips on how to grow a healthy lawn or to get help dealing with a troublesome lawn issue.
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How Do You Tell How Many Inches Of Water Have Been Added
You can tell how many inches of water your lawn has received through these three methods:
- Set Tupperware containers or empty cans around the lawn. When you turn on the sprinklers, time how long it takes for the water to fill up the container to the required height. Thats how long you should water your lawn.
- Install a rainwater gauge near your lawn. After a rain, write down how much water is in the gauge. However many inches are in the gauge is how many ended up on your lawn. Adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
- Stick a stick into the ground, like youre checking oil levels in your car. When you pull the stick up, the stick will be wet where the soil was moist.
Also, if there are puddles on your lawn, thats definitely too much water.
Irrigation Systems: Do You Need One
In an ideal world, wed all have in-ground sprinkler systems that could run on a timer so that we wouldnt have to do much beyond planning the next watering.
They are one of the most effective systems and do an excellent job of evenly watering a lawn without wasting water. Most people dont have this luxury and opt for a sprinkler such as a pulsating or impact sprinkler, oscillating sprinkler, or rotary sprinkler to help distribute water across a larger lawn. For a small or medium-sized lawn, hand watering with a sprinkler nozzle on your hose can be an effective alternative it doesnt require much setup and allows you better control.
About an inch of water evenly over the lawn is ideal. For easy measurement, place a clean and empty tuna can in the middle of the lawn while you water. Once the tuna can is full, you know youve hit an inch deep.
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How Do I Know If My Grass Has Enough Water
There are a few ways you can tell if youve given your lawn enough to drink:
- Check the soil every 15 minutes during your first watering to see how long it takes to get soaked. Use a shovel or screwdriver to get a measurement, and when youve determined the water has gone six inches deep, note the time. Thats how long it should take in the future.
- If you have a sprinkler system, find out its flow rate from the manufacturer. Multiply the square footage of your lawn by 0.62 gallons then divide that figure by the flow rate. The result will tell you how many minutes to run your sprinkler.
- Place empty tuna cans around the lawn and measure how long it takes for the sprinkler to fill each can with an inch of water. The sprinkler coverage will vary, so use the average time it takes to fill the cans.
If youre not sure of the best way to water your lawn, turn to Realty Landscaping. Our PA landscape construction experts have spent years helping homeowners and business owners around the Philadelphia area keep their lawns looking green.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can give you a healthy lawn this summer.
Watering New Turf The Quick Guide
Water turf daily for 2-4 weeks after it has been laid. And make sure the water filters through into the soil beneath it. In very hot weather you may need to water more often. In wet weather, rain may not be enough. Always check that the soil beneath your new lawn is damp. If the soil dries out, turves may shrink and your lawn could die.
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