Best time & way to water lawn: Get all questions answered

All gardeners dream of having a green lawn around the house. To obtain a green lawn, they need different elements: oxygen, sunlight, fertilizer and especially water. without water, the blades of grass become dehydrated and fall back and overwatering cause of Ring Rot and Brown Patch diseases. That’s why proper watering to a lawn is necessary.

When we talk about the proper watering lawn, different questions come to our mind. How to water a lawn and when? How much water you should apply?

Don’t worry!

In this article, I will answer all those questions you think about lawn watering and also will explain the common mistakes made when you watering lawns.

When Should Water Lawn?

When Should Water Lawn

The rule of the watering lawn is rather vague; it depends according to the region where you live.

How to know your lawn need water?

  1. Look at the condition of the grass. When the grass leaves dehydrate, they naturally fold back(curl) on themselves. when you walk on it, they do not get up again. The color of the turf also changes from green to yellow or brown.
  2. If the climate is dry, and no possibility of rain in the coming days, the grass may need to watering.

Other climatic factors can also push to water your lawn:

  1. Dry weather.
  2. The wind.
  3. A sandy soil that retains little water (unlike a clay soil).
  4. A very short cut lawn that will not hold moisture well.

What Is The Best Time To Water Your Lawn?

best time to water your lawn

It will be necessary to choose the right time of the day to water your lawn. You may be tempted to water your lawn when it is very hot. But you should never water your lawn when it is sunny. Never! This is probably the most important rule to remember. Here’s why:

  1. In full sun, the water reverberates the rays of the sun. It is the same phenomenon as when we are at the beach. This reverb will burn the blades of grass.
  2. In the heat, the water evaporates much faster. This evaporation will produce heat instead of cooling the lawn.

This is why you should never water your lawn in the early afternoon. Then what is the best time to watering? It is better to do it when the sun is just out or when it sets. According to the experts, The best time in any season to watering the lawn is early in the morning between 05:00 and 10:00 AM.

Here is the time of day to water depending on the season and your region:

  1. In the summer or early autumn, it is better to water in the evening, when the hot weather has passed. At this time, there will be little evaporation and the water will penetrate well into the soil.
  2. In early spring, it is better to water in the morning. At night or after sunset, due to low temperatures, the water could freeze. However, as we have seen, there is usually no need to water your lawn at this time because rains bring enough water.

Remember watering the lawn at night is a bad idea. It is not recommended to water the lawn at night. If you water the lawn at night, the moisture is not absorbed quickly and the remaining water can help to grow bacterial and fungal diseases, weeds, and pests. 

How often Watering to Lawn?

Once you know when to water your lawn, and the amount of water should apply to your lawn, there is one thing that should know how often watering to lawn.

It is the best idea of watering about two times a week. If your lawn is several years old with well-developed roots, you can water only once a week. On the other hand, if your lawn is young and still fragile, watering more than two times a week is a good thing.

Is it better to water every day or once every three days?

It is better to water in large quantities rather than a little every day. In our practical experiences, it is more useful to water every three days to obtain a green lawn.

Warning: Don’t water your green lawn every day. It promotes fungus and diseases. But it is advisable to water the seedlings every day to promote grass germination.

Experts say- “Water once a week for clay soil and every three days for sandy soils”

Watering from time to time allows:

  1. To develop the roots of your grass and having deep roots helps to fight against tearing grass and better anchored in the soil. If you water your lawn too often, the roots will stay on the surface.
  2. To stimulate the defenses. The grass learns to live in its environment and learn to fend for itself. They will become stronger in the face of diseases.

How Much Water Lawn Needs?

How Much Water Lawn Needs

It is advisable to apply 1-3 inches of water to have a green lawn. If you water your lawn twice a week, divided the amount into two. 

Here are the other criteria you should know:

  1. The nature of the soil: As a clay soil retains much more water than sandy soil, we will apply less water in the first case, and more in the second.
  2. The climate: It will be much more watering in a continental zone (characterized by hot and dry air) than the temperate zone.
  3. The previous rain: No needs watering to the lawn if it has rained recently(how much rainwater gets your lawn: Measurement guide below). It’s time to water when you see the blades of grass wilt or lose softness to the touch.
  4. If the soil is wet, there are no needs watering

Decrease the Frequency of Lawn Watering

It is necessary to reduce the frequency of watering if:

  1. The weather is humid.
  2. The soil is clayey and holds water.
  3. You mow high (6-7 cm).
  4. After cutting, increase the amount of water that helps to recover quickly after damage.
  5. The fertilizer applies. Watering will help the full assimilation of all components.

Increased the Frequency of Lawn Watering

Increased frequency of watering if:

  1. The weather is very dry and also very windy.
  2. The soil is sandy and cannot hold water.
  3. The lawn is mowed very short.

How to Avoid Over-Watering the Lawn

To avoid overwatering to your lawn, Check the soil during water by stick or screwdriver. To do this; deep a stick into the soil about 6 inches. If the stick enters the soil easily, then stop watering. There is another way to tell if your lawn has been watered enough. Observe the grass, If you see any mushrooms growing in your lawn, then you have watered too much.

Optimize the watering:

  • Plant grass mixtures that are adapted to drought  :
    • If you live in a hot area, it is best to plant drought-resistant turf species.
    • You can also sow 10 to 20% of dwarf clover mixed with grass seeds: it guarantees your lawn remains green in summer, even without watering.
  • In summer, preferable water at night: when it is very hot and temperatures rise quickly in the morning, It is better to water the lawn at night or in the evening than in the morning because the evaporation much lower allows the water to penetrate the soil properly.
  • Mow high.

Choose the Right Methods to Water Your Lawn

How to choose the right material to water your lawn? As often, everything is first and foremost a matter of budget.

So how to choose? It is necessary to take into account the surface of your turf.

What is the best way to water your lawn?

For a small area:

Manual watering may be fine. You can water your lawn without having sprinklers by manual methods. All that is needed for this a hose with a showerhead nozzle. It is the least expensive watering system, and it is beneficial. It also allows applying water the problematic terrain like the borders.

For a larger area, you should choose between two systems:

Automatic lawn watering or underground watering. The first is placed on the ground and can be moved, while the second requires installation but is more discreet. Let’s see this automatic watering system in detail.

Automatic Watering

Types of watering sprinklers

The principle of automatic lawn watering is simple: the sprinkler emits a jet of water that reproduces the rain. The advantage is this system can cover a large area and it’s mobile. There are mainly three types of automatic sprinkler irrigation:

  • Oscillating sprinklers are the most common sprinkler. It emits a curved water stream and height and is ideal for rectangular plots. Some models are adjustable; others have a built-in. For large coverage, it will be best
  • Rotary sprinklers intended for circular and semicircular areas. It works this way: two or three arms turn over a jet of water, which creates a kind of fine rain. Some sprinklers are adjustable in degree, range, and flow rate. They can be equipped with wheels to facilitate their movements. For small coverage go for it.
  • Impact Sprinklers have a simple impact head also known as impulse sprinkler that produces sounds like “Jkh-jkh-jkh” or”ckh-ckh-ckh” while emits water jets. You can adjust the water flow, watering area, and spray pattern. It is good for both small and large coverage but the noise is annoying for neighbors in the early morning.
  • Traveling Sprinklers is as much like as rotary sprinkler. But it moves because of the water pressure. know more how it works.

It may be interesting to have an automatic watering system; you will determine the time of triggering watering and its duration. It simplifies life. Some of them work with one battery, others can be plugged into the mains, and others are autonomous thanks to solar energy.

How to Measure Sprinklers Output

A rain gauge is a device that calculates the amount of water that has fallen helps to balance water in the lawn. Imbalance watering is harmful to lawn.so you have to measure sprinkler output with the rain gauge.

  • Simply put 2 or 3 rain gauge in several distances.
  • Turn on your sprinkler for 15 minutes.
  • Collect the rain gauge and calculate the average water depth.

How long should you water your lawn? If the output is 1 inch for 15 minutes then you know that you need to turn on your sprinklers for 30 minutes to get 2 inches of water. As I already told you that-generally a green lawn needs 1-3 inches of water per week. Now do the math to know how long should water to the lawn.

How to Measure Sprinkler Output without Rain Gauge

Measure Sprinkler Output without Rain Gauge

Materials:

  • Any Flat bottom and narrow shape container
  • Measuring scale/Tape

Steps:

  1. Put the container on your lawn
  2. Turn on and adjust the sprinklers for certain times
  3. Collect the container and deep it in the measuring scale. Check the line where the water touches

You can also measure how much rainwater gets your lawn with the rain gauge or a simple container.

Attention, all the tips above only concerns an already existing lawn. A recent sowing lawn or new lawn requires a higher frequency of water because the roots are still tiny.

Water Temperature

 The temperature of the water used to irrigate the lawn is also a considerable topic. Too cold water with a temperature below 10 degrees is a shock to the root system of plants. The temperature of the water should be close to the temperature of the soil and air.

If you have installed a modern automatic irrigation system on your lawn, then you don’t need to worry about controlling the temperature of water for irrigation.

How to Water the Lawn By Hand

Watering the lawn is a very important step in the care of the lawn. Each lawn requires timely watering. The best way to water a green lawn is to do it yourself. This is a quick and economical method, but time-consuming.

Good news! you can buy additional cheap equipment to save your time and effort. Now I will tell you the best way to water lawn without a sprinkler system-

1. Garden Hose

Every homeowner likes to water the lawn with a garden hose. This cheap watering equipment can handle easily. To water your lawn with a hose, first, you have divided your lawn into 4-6 sections in your mind. Then start watering each section by standing with a morning coffee or tea.

Here is the recommended garden hose for the watering lawn that you can choose for your next purchase-

2. Watering Wand

It the another best way to water your lawn. In this system, A wand attaches to the garden hose. It works as like as rain. To maintain your lawn you can buy the best watering wand for your lawn. When you will pick a watering wand, make sure that it has a very efficient spray pattern and high rate spray distance.

Here is the recommend watering wand-

Common Mistakes Made When Watering Lawns

Everyone loves a green lawn but A mistake can ruin your lawn. So, It is wise to know the common mistakes that homeowners make. Though I  have already told you about many mistakes in this article. Now you will get a complete list.

Let’s know!

#Watering in Hot and Sunny Weather

Do you think applying water in hot weather can cool your lawn? You are wrong! Watering the lawn in sunny days means a waste of water. Because water evaporates quickly and doesn’t penetrate into the soil. Moreover, The grass leaves can also burn.

#Watering Daily to The Lawn

More water means more nutrient is available. Yes! You are right. But do you think extra food can use to grow mushroom, fungus and other pathogens? So It is a stupid idea to water your lawn every day. Generally, a lawn requires water twice a week.

#Using a Wrong Sprinkler

There are various types of smart sprinklers available in the market. But It is must consider that you have picked the right or not?

If your lawn mature enough, pulsating sprinkler choose. It sprinkles water horizontally that less wind and evaporation can take place. So the water penetrates deep into the soil.

On the other hand, oscillating sprinkler sprinkles water upwards. So more evaporation occurs. You can use the oscillating sprinklers for your new lawn.

#Same Amount of Water to Other Plant and Grass

Every plant has its own attitude just like a human. So different plants have different needs. So, Apply the same amount of water like other plants is a big mistake.

#Watering  the Leaves of Grass

Leaves can absorb a little amount of water. The root is the main part of the grass that is responsible for uptaking water. So we should notice that water can reach the roots. Only watering on the glass blades is a MISTAKE!

#Using Different Nozzle for the Same Area

The different nozzle has different outputs of water. Some nozzles can spray less water than others. So if you use different types of nozzle for the same lawn. There will be inequality in the watering.

Conclusion

Watering is directly related to the metabolism of plants. The health, attractiveness, and strength of the lawn are dependent on proper lawn watering Manual or automatic watering is not so important for grass. It is important to apply the necessary amount of water to the lawn at the right time in the perfect way.

I hope you already know, how to, when, and how much water should apply to get a perfect lawn. Share and let others know.

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