Proper lawn watering is extremely important for the health and appearance of your lawn.
Improper watering can cause damage to your lawn; overwatering for example can lead to fungus problems, shallow root system in the lawn, insect problems, compacted soil, as well as other serious issues. Overwatering a lawn can also kill the soil beneath the lawn. Healthy soil is full of living, breathing microorganisms. These microorganisms need oxygen to survive.
According to Organo-Lawn, “Overwatering a lawn is much worse for the grass and trees than under watering a lawn. The reason overwatering a lawn is worse is because the water replaces the air in the soil which starves the soil of oxygen. This will result in both shallow grass roots and will kill the beneficial microbes that are living in the soil. Air is extremely important to maintaining a living soil and without the proper amount of air in the soil the lawn will suffer.” (Organo-Lawn, 2019).
One way to ensure you are properly watering your lawn is to follow what Organo-Lawn refers to as the 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 watering technique. Simply put, this means you water the lawn once per week in early spring , twice per week in late spring/early summer, three times per week during the hot summer months, back down to two days in late summer/early fall, and only one day per week during the fall, be sure to turn the system off and properly winterize before late fall.
While the number of days per week you water changes, the amount of time each zone runs remains the same all season. Be sure to adjust the time each zone runs in the spring and leave it; only change the number of days each zone runs.
Here is a sample schedule for proper watering.
1 DAY/WEEK- MAY / JUNE; SPRING/EARLY SUMMER: 1 DAY PER WEEK. (When daytime high temperatures are below 70°F: Water the lawn only one day per week)
2 DAYS/WEEK- JUNE / JULY; EARLY SUMMER/SUMMER: 2 DAYS PER WEEK. (When daytime high temperatures average between 70°F and 80°F water the lawn only two days a week)
3 DAYS/WEEK- JULY/ AUGUST; SUMMER: THREE DAYS PER WEEK. (When daytime temperatures average above 80°F: Water the lawn no more than 3 days per week)
2 DAYS/WEEK- AUGUST / SEPTEMBER; LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL: 2 DAYS PER WEEK. (When daytime temperatures drop back down between 70°F and 80°F water the lawn only two days a week)
1 DAY/WEEK- SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER; EARLY FALL/FALL BLOW-OUT: 1 DAY PER WEEK. (When daytime high temperatures average below 70°F: Water the lawn only one day per week until the system is winterized)
NOVEMBER/WINTER; SYSTEM OFF/WINTERIZED
This technique will ensure you are properly watering the lawn each week. Never overwater the lawn; it only causes more issues in the long run. It is always better to under water a lawn than to overwater it. Grass roots need to dig deep into the soil, and an overwatered lawn keeps those roots too shallow and unhealthy.
Overwatering is a waste of water because the lawn is not benefiting from the excessive watering. If fact, when one overwaters a lawn most of the water used becomes runoff. When the sprinkling is running off the lawn and into the street, sidewalks, storm drains and so on it is a indication that the water is not making it into the soil. Either the soil is already saturated with moisture and cannot absorb any more or it is so compacted the the water just runs off. If the lawn is squishy or spongy it means it is too wet and adding more water is a huge waste. If on the other hand the soil is rock hard the water will never soak in. Overwatering can also wash away vital nutrients and microorganisms within the soil during runoff. As mentioned above overwatering can lead to compaction by replacing the air in the soil with too much water. An over compacted lawn cannot benefit from excessive watering since the water never reached the soil or the root system. A compacted lawn should be aerated and have organic matter mixed back in with a compost top-dressing.
Overwatering can also lead to certain weeds taking over the lawn. While some weeds like it hot and dry, others will invade a wet lawn that is overwatered; leading to a need for more pesticides. Overwatering can also promote more thatch in the lawn because it inhibits certain microorganisms from breaking down the excess thatch. Some thatch is good for the lawn, but if it become too thick it can prevent oxygen from entering the soil. Excessive thatch can be handled by having the lawn aerated with a core aeration machine.
So we discussed overwatering and the 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 watering technique as well as underwatering actually being more beneficial than overwatering; so when should we water the lawn? Well, the best time of day to water the lawn is early morning. This is because it is cooler in the morning which will result in less evaporation and more absorption into the soil. Avoid watering in the middle of the day when it is hot, most of the water will evaporate and it is a huge waste of water. If you most water in the evening, do so early enough that the grass can dry before night-time. Watering at night can leave the lawn wet and soaked overnight; which can lead to many of the same problems as overwatering mentioned above.
By following some simple watering techniques a lawn be be much healthier and attractive.