Guide to Watering Your Lawn Correctly
Everyone wants a green, healthy lawn all summer long! However, keeping your lawn green during the warm seasons of spring and summer can be trickier than expected. It’s important to water your grass at the right time of day and in proper amounts. If you don’t you’ll either over or under water your grass, causing the grass roots to die. Be sure to keep your grass healthy for as long as possible with the following tips.
When Should You Water Your Lawn
If you are finding bare spots in your yard, or your grass slowly beginning to fade, these are sure signs that you need to water your lawn. Another way to check for dehydration, is when you walk on the grass and it does not spring back then it needs water. Also, the best time to water is early morning before 10 a.m. to ensure that the water will not evaporate quickly during the extreme heat of a Lynchburg summer day. Take between 15 minutes and 30 minutes to eventually obtain a healthy lawn. Any longer than that, and you may have wasted water and potentially damaged the root system.
The EPA states that it’s important to save water outdoors and try to save water outdoors as well:
“Timing is everything: Know how much water your landscape actually needs before you set your sprinkler. Your local utility can offer recommendations for how much water certain plants need in your region and best times to water. Generally, it’s best to water lawns and landscapes in the early morning and evening, after the sun goes down, because significant amounts of water can be lost due to evaporation during the heat of the day.”
Watering in the evening (between 4 to 6 p.m) ensures that your grass will be dry before nightfall. Avoid watering it too late at night, as this can lead to factors including bacterial growth and higher chances of diseases. Due to the lack of heat and opportunity for proper evaporation at night, more moisture tends to stay – hence, when you see or feel the morning dew on the grass, the evaporation process wasn’t as sufficient at night as it is moreso in the daylight.
How Much Water is Required for Your Lawn
Providing the correct amount of water is essential for a healthy and green lawn. To get the best results, you should water your yard at the top 6-8 inches of soil. To drench the soil 6-8 inches deep, most lawns require 1 inch of water per week. This can be taken care of with a single watering or by watering a half an inch twice a week.
For stronger growth, raise your lawn mower blade as longer , thicker patches of grass promote deeper root growth, possibly resulting in a more drought-resistant lawn, reduced evaporation, and fewer potential for weeds.
There’s also the option of a professional. A trained and certified contractor can audit, install, or maintain home irrigation systems to ensure water isn’t wasted. Make sure you ask for credentials.
How Long Watering Your Lawn Should Take
When it comes to deep watering once per week, it is recommended that you water over the course of 2-3 hours. This way you can be sure that the water will slowly soak down deep into the soil and hydrate the grass roots. How long you should water the lawn depends on the kind of sprinkler and what your water pressure is like. Also, you need to keep in mind that your lawn will require more water in the extreme summer heat.
Your lawn requires a lot of specific care, and getting a beautiful lawn can be tricky if you’re inexperienced. So, if you have any questions and concerns about your lawn watering, talk to landscaping experts like CLC Landscaping!
