Written by Tyler Sherwood, Accounts & Marketing Director Turf Dietitian, Inc.
WE HEAR A LOT OF HOMEOWNERS CONCERN THEMSELVES WITH UNDER-WATERING THEIR LAWNS, YET 9 OUT OF 10 YARDS WE SERVICE EXPERIENCE ISSUES DUE TO OVERWATERING.
WHEN SOILS BECOME OVERLY SATURATED, THEY CAN BECOME WATERLOGGED, DROWNING THE ROOT SYSTEM. MAKING YOUR LAWN MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE AND COSTING YOU MORE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.
PROPER WATERING IS IMPORTANT TO MAINTAINING A LUSH, GREEN LAWN. TOO LITTLE WATER AND THE GRASS WILL SHRIVEL UP AND DIE; TOO MUCH WATER AND IT’LL BECOME OVER-SATURATED AND DIE. WATERING A LAWN SEEMS LIKE A SIMPLE ENOUGH TASK, BUT FOR MOST OF US, KNOWING THE BEST TIME TO WATER YOUR GRASS—AND HOW LONG TO WATER YOUR LAWN—CAN BE CONFUSING.
AS A GENERAL RULE OF THUMB, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND EACH YARD IS A UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT. FROM SOIL AND PLANT SPECIES TO PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND WEATHER CONDITIONS. THOUSANDS OF FACTORS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT TO DIAGNOSE YOUR LAWNS CONDITIONS.
BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU GET ADVICE, AS WHAT WORKS FOR ONE HOMEOWNER ISN’T NECESSARILY GOING TO WORK FOR ANOTHER. THE BEST WAY TO MANAGE IRRIGATION IS WITH A HIGH-QUALITY MOISTURE METER AND TO CONSULT A CERTIFIED CROP ADVISOR.
WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO WATER MY LAWN?
THE ABSOLUTE BEST TIME TO WATER YOUR LAWN IS BEFORE 10 AM. COOLER TEMPERATURES AND CALM BREEZES HELP KEEP EVAPORATION TO A MINIMUM. AND WATERING IN THE MORNING KEEPS THE TURF COOLER DURING THE HOTTEST PARTS OF THE DAY, WHICH MEANS LESS STRESS ON THE GRASS.
LATE AFTERNOON IS THE NEXT BEST OPTION. HOWEVER, DON’T WAIT TOO LONG. WATERING IN THE EVENING MAY NOT ALLOW ENOUGH TIME TO DRY. A WET AND DARK LAWN OVERNIGHT CREATES A PERFECT CONDITION FOR LAWN DISEASE TO GROW. IF YOU CAN’T FIND THE TIME TO WATER YOUR LAWN IN THE EARLY MORNING, EVEN WITH AUTOMATED TIMERS, THEN TRY TO DO IT EARLY ENOUGH DURING THE DAY TO ALLOW GRASS BLADES TO DRY BY NIGHTFALL. MID-DAY WATERING WON’T HURT YOUR LAWN, BUT YOU MAY NEED TO DO IT LONGER AS YOU’LL LOSE MOISTURE TO EVAPORATION.
SOAK 6-INCHES INTO THE SOIL.
WATER LONG ENOUGH TO MOISTEN THE SOIL DOWN TO THE ROOT SYSTEM. IT TAKES ROUGHLY AN INCH OF WATER TO HYDRATE NORMAL LAWNS PROPERLY AT A DEPTH OF 6-INCHES. BUT EACH LAWN HAS DIFFERENT SOIL, AND IT IS KEY TO WATER ACCORDING TO YOUR PROPERTIES SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT.
THERE ARE A FEW WAYS TO DETERMINE IF YOUR LAWN IS PROPERLY WATERED. SOIL COMPACTION WILL KEEP WATER FROM PROPERLY GETTING TO THE PLANT’S ROOT SYSTEM. IF YOUR LAWN EXPERIENCES FLOODING LIKE THE IMAGE BELOW, IT MAY BE TIME TO CONTACT THE HEALTHY TURF EXPERTS.
GO EASY WITH THE NEW SOD.
PULSATING SPRINKLERS WORK GREAT FOR LAWNS WITH MATURE GRASS, BUT FOR NEWLY PLANTED LAWNS, THE INTENSE WATER STREAM CAN WASH AWAY THE SEEDS AND ERODE SOIL. OSCILLATING SPRINKLERS ARE A BETTER, GENTLER CHOICE FOR NEW LAWNS UNTIL THE GRASS TAKES ROOT. OSCILLATING IS GOOD FOR NEW GRASS AND RECENTLY SOWN GRASS SEED. THE WATER IS NOT TOO STRONG TO PUSH THE SEED, AND THE WATER STREAM IS SOFTER WHEN IT LANDS.
FOR NEWLY PLANTED GRASS SEEDS, KEEP THE TOP INCH OF THE SOIL MOIST BUT NOT SOGGY. MONITOR AND WATER REGULARLY UNTIL THE GRASS IS 3 INCHES HIGH, THEN WATER ON YOUR REGULAR CYCLE. ALSO, BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN MOWING NOT TO DAMAGE THE TENDER GRASS. TAKE WIDE, SLOW TURNS TO PREVENT THE MOWER’S WHEELS FROM TEARING UP THE LAWN.
IF YOU’VE JUST PLANTED SOD, WATER FOR 15 MINUTES EVERY DAY FOR THE FIRST TWO WEEKS, OR TWICE A DAY DURING VERY HOT WEATHER, AND OCCASIONALLY WALK ALONG THE SEAMS BETWEEN THE SOD PIECES TO GENTLY PRESS THE SOD DOWN INTO THE SOIL TO HELP THE ROOTS KNIT.
WATER TWICE A WEEK, MAX!
HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD WATER A LAWN IS DEPENDENT ON SEVERAL FACTORS, INCLUDING THE TYPE OF SOIL. IN FLORIDA, SOILS ARE SANDY AND SHOULD BE WATERED ROUGHLY EVERY THREE DAYS. YOUR LAWN DOESN’T NEED TO WATER AS FREQUENTLY AS YOUR LANDSCAPE PLANTS.
WATERING TOO FREQUENTLY OR VERY LIGHTLY CAN LEAD TO FUNGUS GROWTH AND A SHALLOW ROOT SYSTEM THAT WON’T SUPPORT THE GRASS. WATERING THAT SOAKS THE SOIL MORE DEEPLY ENCOURAGES THE ROOTS TO GROW DEEPER AND STRONGER. THIS CONCEPT TRAINS THE ROOTS TO GO DOWN DEEP INTO THE SOIL WITH PROPER WATERING. IF YOU’RE GOING TO WATER, WATER EVERY THREE TO SEVEN DAYS ONCE WE HIT SUMMER. AND IF YOU SEE MUSHROOMS OR WHITE FLOWERS SPROUTING ON YOUR LAWN, YOU’RE PROBABLY WATERING TOO MUCH.
GET A TIMER!
INSTEAD OF USING GUESSWORK TO TRY AND REMEMBER TO SHUT OFF YOUR SPRINKLER, AN ALL-TOO-COMMON PRACTICE, BUY AN AUTOMATIC LAWN SPRINKLER TIMER. A TIMER KEEPS FORGETFULNESS FROM WASTING WATER AND OVER-SATURATING THE LAWN.
TIMERS ARE EASY TO USE, SCREWING ONTO THE HOSE BIB (SPIGOT) OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE, AND THEN THE GARDEN HOSE CONNECTS TO THE TIMER. THE TIMER WILL AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF THE WATER AFTER A PRESET AMOUNT OF TIME, ENSURING THE LAWN GETS THE PROPER AMOUNT OF WATER. SOME TIMERS ALSO MEASURE FLOW RATES SO YOU CAN GET AN ACCURATE IDEA OF EXACTLY HOW MUCH WATER YOUR LAWN NEEDS TO STAY GREEN AND LUSH. YOUR LOCAL WATER AUTHORITIES AND LAWN WILL THANK YOU LATER!
MAKE YOUR CHOICE!
YOU CAN EITHER WATER YOUR LAWN OR LET IT GO DORMANT. THE SAME PROCESS HAPPENS TO YOUR PLANTS IN COOLER MONTHS. AS LONG AS THERE ISN’T TOO MUCH DROUGHT LASTING LONGER THAN A MONTH, YOUR PLANT WILL BE FINE. IN FLORIDA, THROUGH THE RAINY SEASON, IT MAY BE THE RIGHT CHOICE NOT TO IRRIGATE SUPPLEMENTALLY. HOWEVER, IF YOU LET THE LAWN GO DORMANT, YOU CAN’T SUDDENLY START WATERING, THEN DISCONTINUE WATERING, AND THEN WATER AGAIN. THAT’S TOO HARD ON THE GRASS. A DORMANT LAWN WILL COME BACK TO LIFE NATURALLY AFTER A GOOD RAINSTORM.
LET WATER GENTLY SOAK INTO HARD SOIL.
LAWNS IN NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS WHERE THE TOPSOIL WAS REMOVED OFTEN HAVE SOIL TOO HARD FOR WATER TO SOAK INTO. IN THAT CASE, HOMEOWNERS NEED TO WATER IN STAGES TO SOFTEN UP THE GROUND SO WATER CAN EVENTUALLY SEEP DOWN INTO THE SOIL.
YOU CAN WATER FOR 30 MINUTES, STOP, AND LET THE WATER SOAK INTO THE GROUND. THEN, WATER FOR ANOTHER 30 MINUTES. DON’T TRY TO WATER ALL AT ONCE; COMPACTED SOIL CAN ONLY ABSORB SO MUCH WATER IN THE ALLOTTED TIME. AFTER THAT, THE REST OF THE WATER SIMPLY RUNS OFF.
USE A HIGH-QUALITY MOISTURE METER.
A PLANT MOISTURE METER IS A HANDY GADGET TO MEASURE HUMIDITY IN THE SOIL. THIS DEVICE HELPS PREVENT OVERWATERING OR UNDERWATERING PLANTS. USUALLY, IT HAS A SCALE OF 1 TO 10, WITH 1 BEING THE DRIEST AND 1O BEING THE WETTEST. MOST METERS ALSO HAVE A COLOR RANGE COMPOSED OF RED, GREEN, AND BLUE. MOISTURE METERS ARE THE BEST AND MOST INEXPENSIVE WAY TO CHECK PLANT MOISTURE INSTANTLY.
PICK A DEVICE. MOISTURE METERS COME PLAIN OR FANCY. THEY CAN CHECK MOISTURE, LIGHT, SOIL ACIDITY, AND OTHER FACTORS. A PLAIN MOISTURE METER IS THE EASIEST TO USE FOR QUICK PLANT CHECKS. CHOOSE ONE THAT MEASURES INSTANTLY AND NEEDS NO BATTERIES. YOU CAN USE IT TO CHECK YOUR LAWN, ORNAMENTALS, AND HOUSE PLANTS ALIKE. YOU WILL FIND RANGES FOR MOISTURE ONLINE WITH RESEARCH ARTICLES THAT COINCIDE WITH EACH PLANT YOU’RE TENDING. CERTAIN PLANTS LIKE A DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF MOISTURE COMPARED TO OTHERS.
TO USE YOUR MOISTURE METER, HOLD THE HEAD OR GAUGE END OF THE METER AND INSERT THE PROBE INTO THE SOIL ABOUT THREE-QUARTERS DOWN INTO THE SOIL. METERS MEASURE THE SOIL MOISTURE AT THE ROOTS. USE THE METER TO SPOT-CHECK YOUR PLANTS AND MONITOR THEM FREQUENTLY. BE CAREFUL NOT TO LEAVE THE METER IN THE PLANT FOR LONG. THEN WIPE OFF THE PROBE AND KEEP THE MOISTURE METER DRY AND CLEAN FOR YOUR FUTURE USE.
DO YOU SEEK LAWN CARE ADVICE YOU CAN TRUST?
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