The ideal watering schedule is once or twice per week, for about 25 to 30 minutes each time. Taking care of a lawn doesn't have to be an overwhelming, all-consuming task. Once all the tips and tricks are in your back pocket, it will be easy to come up with a routine that results in a gorgeous green lawn.
Most grass needs watering between 20 to 40 minutes at a time. Water your grass one to three times a week in peak growing seasons. Your grass type, region, and amount of rainfall impact watering times. Watch out for signs of too much or too little watering to avoid disease or dead grass.
1) Watering for Too Long
This should be no more than three times per week. Set a timer for 20 minutes and stick to your schedule, even if you think the lawn needs more water. You don't want to oversoak it.
With new grass seed, the aim is to keep the soil moist. Waterlogged soil will suffocate the new seeds. It is best to water the grass seedlings 2 to 3 times a day for about 5 to 10 minutes each time.
How Long Should I Water at a Time? A watering session should be long enough to soak the area sufficiently so all the roots receive a beneficial drink. Sprinklers should be set to run for about 30 to 35 minutes at a time twice a week.
Once the grass is 1 inch tall, water the grass every other day until grass is established (approximately three weeks). Once the grass is established, revert to watering 1-2 times a week for a total of approximately 1 inch of water.
Avoid watering grass on a hot afternoon when it's 95 degrees or higher. The best time to water grass is at dawn or in the early evening. Water deeply three times a week instead of a little water daily. Test whether your sprinkler system is watering your lawn evenly.
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.
Many grasses can stay in dormancy for 3-4 weeks without beginning to deteriorate to the point of plant death. When the prolonged period without rain ends, the turf is able to regenerate from rhizomes and stolons.
In times of extreme heat, it is vital to water your lawn for about 30 to 45 minutes daily. Once the temperatures drop below ninety, you can cut back to watering three to four times a week, until that blissful thunderstorm comes and quenches your lawn's thirst!
Grass blades turn brown as they lose available moisture. If the drought doesn't last beyond 3-4 weeks, most of these areas can re-grow new, green blades when wet conditions return. However, if lawns don't get 2″ of water weekly for 4 weeks consecutively, permanent damage can occur.
During extremely hot weather (daytime temperatures above 90F and nighttime temperatures above 70F), try to water daily or every other day. In a 10x10-foot garden, this would mean giving your plants 8 to 9 gallons of water each day.
1. Water Thoroughly: Rotor zones should run for about 30-40 minutes per zone and spray zones 10-15 minutes per zone. 2.
If it's 70-80 degrees outside try watering 2-3 times a week. During the spring your lawn will be fairly easy to manage so you don't have to water all the time. In the blazing summer, when temperatures are between 90-100+, try watering 3-4 times a week.
Don't water everyday.
The more shallow your grass roots are, the less hearty it will be in hot weather. Instead water about two times per week for longer periods of time.
Water Wisely
Most lawns need to be watered no more than three days a week in the spring as well as in the summer and two days a week in the fall. This watering schedule is recommended under normal water supply conditions.
It's tempting to water your lawn in hot weather, especially if your grass is already looking a bit thirsty. But in most cases, you shouldn't water your grass when it's 95°F or hotter because the water will likely evaporate before it reaches the roots.
During really hot weather, water your vegetables at least two to three times a week. Watering the garden deeply is critical. The water must go down, down, down to encourage deep roots and get away from the hot soil surface.
Most oscillating sprinklers will put off about one inch of water an hour. That would mean that you would need to water your lawn for one hour, once a week (twice weekly in periods of extreme drought). For less established lawns, you may need to increase the frequency as your lawn's root system becomes more robust.
Too frequent watering keeps the grass wet and promotes fungal growth. If you're seeing mushrooms in your yard, you might be overwatering. Irregular brown patches on your lawn might not mean it's thirsty but that it is infected with anthracnose, which is another fungus that infects wet grass.
If gaps or cracks emerge between sections of sod, it's a sure sign you haven't given you lawn enough water. Just as you ensure your sod gets enough water, watch out for overwatering. Grass roots can't grow and integrate with the soil below if the soil is too wet. After you water your sod, walk across it and inspect it.
Well, you'd be surprised how easy it is to ruin brand new grass seed before you even have a chance at a beautiful yard. There are two things to always remember for watering new grass seed: Not enough water will kill the sprout. Too much water can leave less than ideal results, as well.