How Often Should You Water Your Lawn In The Summer

Best Time Of Day To Water Your Lawn

The best time to water your lawn is before 10 a.m., preferably between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. At this cool time of day, its less likely the moisture will evaporate before your grassroots can absorb it from the soil.

If you cant water before 10 a.m., dont make the mistake of watering late at night. It may be cool then, but if the moisture sits on your grass overnight, it can make your lawn more prone to disease. The second-best time to water is between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

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.

How To Tell If Your Grass Isnt Getting Enough Water

There are several tell-tale signs that you need to water your lawn. Its simple as can be, but if your once-vibrant green lawn has taken on a gray shade, you need to water. Curled grass blades are another indicatorit means your grass is thirsty.

If youre unsure, consider tackling one of two tests. For the step test, simply walk on your lawn. If your lawn is well-watered, your grass should spring right back up where youve stepped. If it doesnt, its lacking moisture, so it needs water.

The screwdriver test is another classic. See if you can drive a long-bladed screwdriver 6 inches into the soil. If you cant push the tool down that far or you meet a lot of resistance, its time to water.

Read Also: How To Estimate Lawn Mowing Jobs

How Your Grass Type Affects Watering Regime

Weve been working on the assumption that your grass will need an inch of water every week. Yet, this average might change depending on your grass species, and whether theyre actually warm-season grasses or cool-season grasses.

If youre dealing with a newly planted lawn, youll want to tweak your watering regime a bit. Make sure that the top;½-2 inches of the topsoil are moist. You can do so by giving your lawn 10 minutes of watering twice a day. So, once in the morning time, and another during the evening hours should do the trick.

But, dont go overboard. You dont want to have soaked soil. All you need is slightly sticky and crumbly soil.

What Are Some Useful Tips For Watering Plants And Grass During The Summer Months

What is the best time to water lawn in summer this is another question asked by most gardeners.

While your plants may appreciate the sun, the hot summer temperature often makes it difficult to maintain your garden/lawn.

Similar to humans, heat makes the plants thirsty, and making the necessary adjustment to the watering schedule is something that even the most experienced professional often struggle with.

Always Start Early

This one is easy; if you want your plants to soak as much water possible, you need to start watering them early in the morning.

This way, the plants will have ample time to absorb the water.

Hence it is very important that they have water before the day gets hotter.

Always make use of the best garden hose for the job; some options include the Flexzilla hose, Flexi Hose Nozzle, and Gardguard Garden Hose.

Do Not Water The Leaves

Most people sweep the spray broadly while watering their gardens this is a common mistake.

While watering your backyard might be a fun experience, this method is not very effective.

In fact, it is quite harmful to the plants.

Of course, it is understandable that avoiding the leaves is not completely possible, you should avoid them for two primary reasons one, it is not beneficial since water can only be absorbed from the roots.

The second is that excess water increases the possibilities of diseases and fungal infections that thrive in moisture.

Quality Before Quantity

In hindsight, it will also prevent water wastage.

You May Like: Does Lowes Deliver Lawn Mowers

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.

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.

Don’t Miss: Parts For Murray Push Lawn Mower

Why Is It Important To Water My Lawn

A proper lawn watering routine is an essential part of lawn care. Maintaining a healthy lawn is not only important for curb appeal, but also for the plants to ward off pests, common weeds, and lawn disease. Watering your lawn is part of an overall comprehensive lawn care program that can help grass thrive into a happy, healthy, and enjoyable turf all season long.

The perfect lawn requires more than just a regular watering routine. Other equally important components of a comprehensive lawn care program include weed control and fertilizer to keep your grass strong and thriving.

Signs Your Lawn May Be Overwatered:

Fungi: One of the most telltale signs that a lawn is overwatered is the development of lawn disease and fungus created by too much moisture always living in your grass. When a yard is overwatered, the grass is unable to ventilate, and stagnant water occurs.;Lawn disease and fungus most commonly look like ugly brown patches of grass throughout your lawn. If these patches are not treated quickly, they spread and can ultimately damage an entire lawn.

Lackluster Lawn: Healthy grass requires oxygen as much as it does water. When a lawn is overwatered, it cannot use the pores to absorb oxygen and continue to grow.

Weeds: These unwanted plants thrive in moist conditions. Because weeds can grow more quickly than grass, overwatering puts your turf at risk for higher weed growth.

Insects: Just like weeds, insects flock to overly watered lawns to lay their eggs and breed.

Read Also: How To Kill Wild Violet Weeds In Lawn

How Often To Water The Lawn

How often you water your lawn is also an important factor to consider. Instead of watering your lawn daily, we recommend watering 1 to 2 times per week if Mother Nature isnt already providing steady, soaking rains.;

Deep and less frequent watering is ideal. Watering 1 to 2 times per week will provide you with better results by giving your lawn plenty of time to dry between waterings. This also helps to reduce turf diseases.

A soaking is the optimal type of watering that should be performed, as opposed to occasionally watering here or there. The goal is to deeply soak your lawn until the soil is moist to a few inches of depth. The exact amount of time this will take varies depending on the size of your lawn and your sprinkler system, but could take 45-60 minutes on average.;

Of course, Mother Nature will hopefully be doing some of the watering work for you. Even so, you dont want to assume that a heavy downpour automatically means you can skip watering your lawn that week. Using a rain gauge is one of the most effective ways to measure the amount of water your grass is getting to make sure youre in the right range.

Moisture levels can also be tested with a soil probe, which will either take a sample out of the ground or use electronic sensors to test the moisture. A DIY alternative with an object you already own would be to see how easy it is to stick a stake or a screwdriver into the ground. If you cannot easily push it in, your soil is too dry.;

What Type Of Grass Do You Have

Most lawns in West Michigan feature a mix of Kentucky bluegrass, creeping red fescue, and perennial ryegrass. These are all classified as cool-season grasses that do great in spring, fall, and even a good chunk of the summer.

But when temperatures start to reach and exceed the middle 80s or so, they start to get stressed and can go dormant in order to conserve what little water they have remaining. Giving your lawn a little extra water at these times can be especially critical to maintaining their health.

Bluegrass and ryegrass are particularly fickle, as they require a fair amount of sun and good soil drainage, but they also tolerate drought relatively poorly.

That said, unless you know you specifically have a type of grass different from the norm in West Michigan, the general advice in this blog should apply to your lawn.

Read Also: Average Cost To Hydroseed

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.

The Best Time To Water Your Lawn In Summer Is

The morning more specifically, anytime before 10 a.m.

For water to improve the health of lawns, it first needs to be properly absorbed. Thats one of the reasons its best to water your lawn in the early morning hours in the summer, as well as the spring and fall. Whereas too much sun and heat mid-day can cause water to quickly evaporate, the cool temperatures and calm winds of the morning give water a chance to soak into the soil and reach grass roots.

While water is absorbed into a lawn, it not only delivers nutrients to grass roots, but it also helps keep the lawn cool in the hours that follow. This covers the hottest parts of the day when lawns are most prone to heat stress an issue that can trigger the onset of lawn diseases, insect infestations and bare spots. While rebounding from the effects of heat stress can be difficult, watering your lawn in the early morning helps prevent the issue in the first place, while saving wasted water.

What about watering at night? While the evening hours may seem like a convenient time to water your lawn, the problem with this route is that lawns will remain wet overnight as there is no sunlight to help fuel absorption. This wet foliage can become a breeding ground for fungal diseases that tend to thrive in moist, humid conditions.

Don’t Miss: How To Get Clover Out Of My Lawn

Watering During The Summer Months

Depending on where you live, you may not need to water your lawn during the spring. The soil beneath the grass is often saturated with water from snowmelt, and spring rain will provide even more water.

However, as temperatures rise in May and June, you should slowly start watering your lawn more thoroughly and more frequently.;Start with watering once a week for about twenty minutes at a time, applying roughly half an inch of water to the grass.

As temperatures exceed 80 degrees, you may need to start watering every three days for thirty to forty minutes at a time, or one to two inches of water each time.

The most common turf species in Utah and the broader Intermountain West is Kentucky Bluegrass, which needs about two inches of water per week in the summer.

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.

Also Check: Truck Tire Step Harbor Freight

Signs That You Are Overwatering

;;;;;;Development of thatchA layer of decomposed plant material that builds up when overwatering prevents beneficial soil bacteria.

;;;;;;FungusThin or weak grass that has a reddish-orange color could be a sign of fungus from overwatering.

;;;;;; WeedsOverwatered lawns will develop weeds that are harder to control such as nutsedge and crabgrass.

;;;;;;InsectsToo much water creates a conducive habitat for pests. Damage from armyworms, cutworms or other insects could be the result of overwatering.

On the other hand, if your lawn is being underwatered, it can experience drought damage, weeds and other symptoms.

How Often Should Lawn Watering Take Place

In the midst of the harsh summer heat, its natural for you to want to water your lawns more than you typically do. Maybe even every day, in some cases. Lawn watering is a critical part of lawn care, but its easier to overwater your lawn than you think. ;

So, how often should lawns be watered in summer? Lets find out.;

Read Also: How Much Oil In Lawn Mower

How Many Times A Week To Water

How To Tell If You’ve Watered Enough

Check the soil: To see how long it will take to soak the soil, check it every 15 minutes during your first watering. Use a shovel or screwdriver to test how deep the water has moved. Mark the time once the soil has been soaked to a depth of at least 6 inches — thats how long youll need to water your lawn in the future.

Measure with cans: Place clean, empty tuna cans in different spots around the lawn and measure how long it takes to collect 1 inch of water in each can. Since sprinkler coverage patterns may vary throughout the lawn, use the average time it takes to fill all of the cans.

Use a flow timer : Choose a timer that measures water flow in hundreds of gallons. Multiply your lawns square footage by 0.62 gallons to determine the total number of gallons needed for the entire lawn.

When watering your lawn, you may begin to notice that your lawn isnt absorbing water as quickly as it should. If you find that puddling occurs whenever you water, try watering in shorter cycles until the required time to apply the needed amount of water is met .

You May Like: How Often To Water Grass In Colorado

Dont Water Your Lawn At Night

If were trying our best to avoid evaporation, you might be tempted to water your lawn at night, right?

Thats actually a rather bad idea. A night-time watering regime is the perfect setting for all types of diseases and fungi to grow. Protect your grass from all of that nastiness by setting a timer for a morning-water session instead.

How Often Should You Water Your Lawn A Few Other Lawn Care Tips

Did you know that water makes up around 75% of your grasss weight?

Needless to say, you cant really have healthy and shiny-looking grass unless youve mastered the process of watering your lawn.

But, no worries, to perfectly water your lawn, you dont really need to turn it into an art form. The right procedure for your specific case will come to you after some trial and error of the key tips well discuss in a minute.

Read on for our collection of the best tips on lawn hydration, and well have your grass looking so shiny and healthy, itll blind your neighbors in no time at all.

• Ready to Have the Lawn of Your Dreams?

Read Also: Love My Lawn