Even though the process of watering your grass might seem simple on the surface, it’s pretty complex. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could very quickly kill your grass by watering it too much or not enough. If you’re inexperienced with this task or just want a few tips, read this list of smart and effective ways to water your lawn.
Pay Attention to the Weather
When it comes to watering your yard, knowing what kind of rainfall you’ve received or how much is coming is vital. Most lawns need about one to one-and-a-half inches of water every week. This amount usually seeps down about six to eight inches, covering all the roots in that area.
If the expected rainfall is in the one to two-inch range, you won’t have to worry about watering that week. Doing so might drown your lawn. While grass is resilient, it’s best not to push it to its limits since Mother Nature will do that from time to time. If you’re in a drought, you might need to overwater a bit to ensure the grass’s health during that time.
Don’t Water Everything Equally
Many people believe that all parts of their yard should receive equal water—this isn’t the case. Some areas need more, while others require much less. If a particular spot in your yard gets a lot of sunlight throughout the day, it’ll need more water since most of it will evaporate. On the other hand, shaded regions will need much less water since the sun won’t be able to cause as much evaporation in those areas.
Water Early in the Morning
Even though many people joke about how early dads will wake up in the morning to work on their yards, there’s an actual reason for it when it comes to watering. When you water in the morning, then throughout the day, the water will either soak deep into the dirt or evaporate away. If these actions don’t happen, harmful fungi might start to grow on your grass. That’s why you should never water your yard late into the evening.
Don’t Start Slacking in the Fall
Obviously, spring and summer are vital seasons for watering. Spring is when the grass begins growing again, and summer is when it gets hot and sometimes too dry. Once it cools back down in the fall, many people stop watering their yards.
This is not a good idea. Fall is when your yard recovers from the hotter months of the year and needs water to do that. Also, if you fertilize your lawn during this time, your grass will need enough water to help that soak in. Until the ground freezes for the winter, you need to keep up with your watering habits.
Use the Right Sprinklers
When it comes to playing it smart and finding efficient ways to water your lawn, using the correct type of sprinkler is a good place to start. Each type waters the ground around it in different ways. Impact sprinklers are the most versatile because they can cover a circular area from anywhere between 40° to 360°. Even though they can reach far on their own, if you want to increase that distance, you can attach it to most standard tripods.
While they can cover a large area, a rotary sprinkler might be a good option if you have a smaller section of your yard. They cover a lot of the ground close to the source. However, the best choice for large open areas is usually an oscillating sprinkler. They cover a rectangular space with water, which tends to fall much more lightly on the ground since the water gets shot straight into the air.
Water Lightly in Certain Areas
Speaking of which, we haven’t covered the water’s intensity yet. It should be evident that you don’t want to use the jet setting of your hose nozzle to water the grass. Doing so could uproot the grass and cut holes through the dirt. Instead, you’ll want to sprinkle it lightly. This is especially the case in patches where you’ve planted new grass. Anything more than a mist could kill your grass before it even begins to sprout.
Check the Soil While Watering
One of the most challenging parts about watering your lawn is determining how much water you’ve delivered to your grass. You can’t look and tell how much there is. Luckily, a neat trick shows you how much water an area has received. You can set out some pie pans or a few tuna cans in the section you’re currently watering. Once they have about an inch or so of water in them, you can move on to the next area.
The only downside to this method is that it doesn’t account for different types of soils and their densities. Some dirt doesn’t absorb water as well as others, so you’ll need to check yourself to see how deep the water has sunk. Do this by sticking a shovel into the ground and pulling the dirt away to see the layers of soil. If the water has gone about three to four inches down into the earth, you should be okay to move to the next section of your yard.
Save Water Where You Can
So far, we’ve entirely focused on your lawn’s health, but to be smart about your watering, you need to save water wherever you can. Many of the previously mentioned methods will help you save on the water bill, but limiting the amount you’re outputting is the best way to do this.
If you’re watering by hand, try using lighter settings on your nozzle to slow down the amount of water that comes out. If you primarily use sprinklers, be sure to use impact and rotary types. These expel the least amount of water when in use. Be sure also to turn them off as soon as possible.
Install an Irrigation System
In the end, though, there’s no method of watering that’s easier or more consistent than an irrigation system. With one of these setups, you can control how often your water your grass and how long the system will run with the press of a button. This will save you time and money since you’ll never forget about leaving the water running outside again.
If you’re looking for a landscaping company in Baton Rouge that can install one of these systems for you, Hernandez Lawnscape is here to help. After we install your irrigation system, we can do much more for your yard, so take the time to check out the other services we provide.
