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Watering 101

Tips for caring for your lawn

A common mistake when renovating a new lawn is to neglect watering once the grass seed has germinated.  New seedlings need steady moisture from frequent watering or rainfall.  Their immature root systems only penetrate into the soil an inch or so where it dries out quickly during warm weather.  Continue to water frequently and deeply enough to keep the top few inches of soil moist.  If you have mulched the new seed the straw or garden fleece will help retard water loss from evaporation.  If there is no rain, water new grass at least twice a week until it is a few months old.

To Establish

–  Water in new seed 2 – 3 times daily, or enough to keep soil moist.

–  Watering intervals should be short, usually between 10 – 20 minutes so new seed is not washed away

–  Begin watering once a day after new grass begins to emerge

Routine Watering

After established, turfgrass continues to need 1” of water per week, depending on soil type.  Sandy soils will need more water and clay soils will use less.  Too much watering will replace oxygen in the soil and the grass will die.  The best gauge is the color and texture of the lawn.  If you can walk across the lawn and leave footprints in the grass, it needs water.

Best times to water are in the early morning and late afternoon when there is generally less wind and heat.  Late evening watering causes the lawn to stay wet all night and encourages disease development.

Consider slopes, trees, and evaporation from sun exposure if facing south and west.  Slopes will need more frequent, but lower intervals of water.