Water Requirements For Lawns

Generally speaking, water requirements for lawns, including both frequencies and amounts will vary throughout the year as Seasons change. In this article, we'll look at the general principles behind effective lawn watering in any Season which requires regular watering for the ongoing health of lawns.

Lawn Watering Every Day

This is a very bad lawn care practice. While the concept may seem to make sense by ensuring the lawn always has adequate access to water, it is in fact a highly detrimental practice. Watering lawns each day in small quantities, encourages a shallow root system in the lawn, meaning that any time a hot day arrives, or the lawn is deprived of its daily dose of water, the roots can dry out very quickly, sending the lawn into shock or even sudden death.

The second reason watering lawns daily is a bad choice is that the water is always sitting very close to the surface. On hot days, a lot of water will be lost due to evaporation, depriving the lawn of even more water, and increasing the possibility of risking the damage mentioned above.

Deeper watering every day is also a problem, much of the water will simply go to waste, returning to the water table. In some soil types, the soil will actually hold onto the water near the surface, making the grass weak and at high risk of damage, prone to drowning from lack of oxygen in the soil, and prone to diseases and weeds.

Water Lawns Deeply

This is the first rule to follow in a correct watering regime. This allows roots to follow the water deeper into the ground, ensuring greater safety for the lawn to weather heat strain, and removing the possibility of roots drying out. Water will also remain in the ground for longer at a deeper level as there is no evaporation, and the soil is often more compact, allowing it to hold onto water for longer.

Watering deeply can mean varying amounts of water in different regions and in different seasons, so giving an exact time for watering is near impossible. 10 minutes may be right sometimes, whereas 20 minutes or more may be right at other times. The turf owner should monitor their lawns health and adjust times to achieve the desired result with least water wastage.

Lawn Watering Frequencies

Again, the first consideration will be seasons and regions. None to little water in Winter, regular watering in Spring and Autumn, and more frequent watering in Summer.

The best regime for watering frequencies in Summer would be no more than one watering in the morning, twice a week.

When combined with applying the correct amount of water to achieve a deep watering, this lawn care regime will produce a beautiful lush green lawn with a nice deep root system.