2 min readAfter weeks of summer heat, sunshine, and regular use, keeping your lawn healthy can become a challenge. Whether you're dealing with dry conditions or trying to maintain a lush, green yard, it's natural to wonder if you're watering enough. One of the most common questions homeowners ask is how often they should water their lawn.
Giving your grass the right amount of water is key to keeping it healthy without wasting resources. Once you understand the ideal watering schedule, you can adjust it based on the weather and your lawn's needs to keep your yard looking its best. Here's what you need to know.
How Often You Should Water Your Lawn
While overly enthusiastic gardeners might want to water their lawn every day, this is a big mistake. Generally speaking, lawns should be watered a maximum of three times per week in the spring with around one inch of water and twice a week if the weather is cooler. The same time frame applies during the summer heat, but when fall arrives, it's a good idea to water your lawn twice a week at the most. This is the recommended schedule under normal water conditions, but it's always important to pay attention to local water shortage issues.
The Best Time of Day to Water Your Lawn
The first thing gardeners need to consider when watering their lawns is the time of day. Early morning is the best time to water your lawn, ideally between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
“Evapotranspiration, or the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere, happens less during these hours, and the grass benefits more from irrigation during this timeframe,” Steve Peeler, internal agronomist at Simple Lawn Solutions, told House Beautiful. Watering your lawn in the early morning also helps prevent those dreaded brown patches of dead grass by preventing dryness.
What to Do If Water Conservation Is in Effect
If your area is experiencing a drought, be sure to follow your local guidelines—even if that means letting your lawn go dormant.
To ensure that you don't use more water than necessary, the easiest thing to do is to invest in sprinklers with automatic timers or high-velocity sprinklers that oscillate, which also have the added benefit of being gentler on new grass if you've planted fresh lawn this year.
Households in drought-prone areas should consider landscaping that isn't as thirsty as grass, like low-growing shrubs and ground cover. Ditching greenery altogether for hardscaping is a good idea, too.
Pay Attention to the Elements
As important as it is to be consistent with lawn care, it's just as vital to pay attention to the natural elements. A few days of rain mean you can take time off from watering. This is important to avoid mud patches and mushrooms growing on your lawn.
