When should I water my lawn?

Never water your lawn or landscape in the heat of the day. This may actually cause more harm than good. The droplets of water that remain on the grass, plants and flowers actually wilt the plant once the hot sun warms the water. Most of the water that is being put down is also being evaporated due to the heat. It is best to water in the early morning of early evening hours, but never late in the evening. This will give the ground a chance to soak the water in and reach the root system on the plants. Watering late in the evening could possibly cause more disease and weed problems as they tend to develop more at night than during the day. 

How much water does my lawn need?

Most lawns require a minimum of one inch of water per week. Rain is the best supplier of water due to the natural occurrence of nitrogen, which is essential to the health of your lawn. It is hard to ensure that your lawn is getting enough water in some cases. Don't be fooled by quick downpours. It may be a lot of water, but it is coming down too fast to soak in and most of rain is washed away. A hard, short storm may still need to be supplemented later in the week with a good watering. Water is lost from your lawn through a process called evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiration --  usually referred to as "ET" -- is the combined effect of water used by the plant and that which is lost to evaporation. ET is expressed in inches (or mm) of water per week. Your watering schedule should be set up to replace the water lost to ET. 

How deep does the water need to penetrate?

Apply enough water to wet the soil to a depth of approximately six to eight inches. A soil probe may be used to check moisture depth in soil. Maintaining a soil moisture depth of six to eight inches usually requires a rate of one to two inches of water per week. You can place opened cans in the sprinkler pattern to determine the amount of water being applied. Don't give your lawn a light sprinkling. This promotes shallow roots, and it may not even reach the soil, depending on how much you water. 

What happens to grass during a drought?

As the soil begins to dry out, the lawn will show a lack of available moisture by wilted leaf blades. This condition is evidenced by a lengthwise folding or rolling of the blades, caused by a loss of water pressure within the plant. Wilting is best seen on the older leaves of the grass plant because the youngest leaf is not fully expanded as if it s wilted. Wilting is best seen on the older leaves of the grass plant because the youngest leaf is not fully expanded and will appear as if it is wilted. If your lawn can't get enough water it will first go into a dormant stage, often marked by a bluish color. If the drought continues until the soil water is fully used, death will result for most cool-season grasses. Bermudas and other warm-season grasses will probably recover, however, the lawn's quality will not. 

How can you tell when the grass needs water?

When walked on, the footprints remain visible for several minutes. When the grass blades don't spring back, it means the wilting is imminent so manually turn on the water long enough to supply a full inch. If too much water is allowed to leave the soil, your lawn will not be able to extract what's left for it's own use, leading to stress. This makes the grass weak and susceptible to physical damage, insect damage and disease. 

How do I minimize run-off when I water?

Use multiple start times if the ground will not absorb water at the rate it is applied. This is usually necessary for spray-nozzles, which water at a fairly high precipitation rate. Program the sprinkler clock to use three or four start times, and water for one third or one fourth of the total watering time at each start time. Heavy clay soils may need even more start times, sandy soil will need fewer start times.