To water well, timing is everything. Water in the early morning – between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Midday watering leads to wasteful evaporation, while nighttime watering causes droplets to cling to grass overnight, increasing the chance of lawn diseases.
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.
We recommend changing your lawn watering frequently to adapt to the changing temperatures. In the late spring, rotor irrigation zones typically need to run 30-45 minutes per zone, and spray irrigation zones typically need to run 8-12 minutes. We recommend watering 2-3 days a week during late spring.
Water in the early morning (4am to 10am). This allows the grass blades to dry, making them less susceptible to foliar diseases. Watering is more efficient in morning due to less evaporation and wind speed. Change the time that your system runs monthly, or at least seasonally.
Always Deep Water Your Lawn
This means water from 20 – 45 minutes multiple times a week – more on this later. If you water for only 5 – 10 minutes, you can actually harm your lawn.
If you're not sure how much time it takes for your sprinklers to spray an inch of water, you're not alone. A fixed spray head nozzle might take ~30 minutes to apply 1 inch of water, whereas a rotary nozzle could take 3x as long to apply the same amount.
In the spring and fall, sprinklers should run a few times a week for short intervals (no more than 15 minutes per zone). During summer months, when temperatures are hot and dry, sprinklers should run longer (up to 30 minutes per zone) depending on how much sun exposure the area receives.
1-2-3-2-1 watering technique:
In April water 1 day/week. In May ramp up to 2 times/week. In the heat of the summer water 3 times/week. In September drop back to 2 times/week. In the fall drop back down to 1/week.
The answer, water between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.—before the sun is up, winds are calm and temperatures are cool. Midday watering tends to be less efficient because of water loss due to evaporation and windy conditions during the day.
Misconception #3: The Best Time to Water My Lawn is After the Sun Sets. While we've heard a lot of people say it's best to water at night, the reverse is actually true. The ideal time to water your lawn is just after the sun rises.
Watering in the middle of the day or late afternoon, when temperatures are typically at their highest and the sun at its brightest, can cause the most water to evaporate from your lawn, leaving your grass thirsty and causing you to waste water.
For example, rotor sprinkler heads might require 20 to 30 minutes of straight watering time, while a traditional spray head zone will only need 5 to 10 minutes.
Rotor heads: These rotate to spray water slowly over an area, requiring a longer length of time (typically 30–60 minutes per sprinkler zone). Spray heads: These deliver water more quickly and evenly, so they usually only need 10–20 minutes per sprinkler zone.
The average system uses approximately 15-16 gallons per minute, per station. Here is an easy formula to help you calculate the approximate amount of water you are using each month.
The rule of thumb for watering an established lawn is, “water as deeply and as infrequently as possible.” Deep and infrequent irrigation stimulates root growth, resulting in healthy, drought tolerant, and pest resistant turf.
The best time to water grass is early in the morning, between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., as the cooler air and calmer breezes allow water droplets to reach the grass roots before evaporating. Watering during this period helps in preventing wasteful evaporation and the risk of lawn diseases associated with nighttime watering.
You want to aerate the lawn when your grass is in its peak growing period so it can recover quickly—think early spring or fall for cool-season grasses, and late spring through early summer for warm-season grasses. If you have high-traffic areas or heavy clay soil, you will want to aerate every year.
It's best to water your lawn after mowing only if it aligns with your regular irrigation schedule or when your grass is showing signs of underwatering. Look for signs of dehydration such as: Yellowing or browning leaves. Dry, crispy, or wilting grass blades.
The 1/3 rule makes the most sense for relatively high cut turf found in golf course roughs, sports fields and home lawns. Applying the rule, you should never let a rough maintained at 2 inches grow higher than 3 inches before mowing.
Drip irrigation is the most water-efficient way to irrigate many different plantings. It is an ideal way to water in clay soils because the water is applied slowly, allowing the soil to absorb the water and avoid runoff.
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.
A half-hour session of watering should give your grass about ½ inch of water. Don't forget that the type of sprinkler head you have influences how long you should water your yard: Spray heads: Water for 5 or 10 minutes. Rotor heads: Water for 20 to 30 minutes.
The ideal watering schedule is once or twice per week, for about 25 to 30 minutes each time.
If your heads consume 3 GPM, you could run three heads per zone. Each zone of a sprinkler system will run all of its heads simultaneously. If you have too many in a zone and not enough pressure, each one's pressure will be lowered since the system cannot be controlled head by head.