How long to water your lawn?

Once your lawn is sown, the grass will start to germinate and then grow. In order to grow well, it needs several elements including oxygen, sun, but also and mainly water. Water is essential for a healthy green lawn.
 
Watering your lawn well is one of the most important tasks to maintain your garden, and if you don't do it properly, your lawn may turn yellow, welcome weeds, or become more vulnerable to diseases. Here is a complete guide to help you keep a healthy lawn.

The consequences of a lack of water for your lawn

When the lawn is left unwatered for an extended period of time, the lawn seeks protection from water stress and goes dormant. It therefore stops growing, which causes the appearance of a dark yellowish or brownish color. At this point, the leaves and stems dry out and turn brown, but the underground parts still remain alive.

In general, a well-maintained lawn can survive summer droughts without the need for irrigation. However, after 4 weeks without water, it is very likely that your lawn will take on a yellowish or orange tint, which means that it is seriously dried out and needs urgent watering.

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Watering different types of grass

The duration of watering and its frequency greatly depend on the type of lawn you are maintaining. Proper lawn care varies with the type of grass, but it also depends on several factors such as the season and the area in which you live.

Different types of lawns have different watering and maintenance needs. It is therefore important to pay attention to your type of lawn and its needs. Once you know how much and how to water your specific type of lawn, it will be easy for you to set up a watering schedule to get the best results year round.

• Warm season grasses

Warm season grasses such as Mascarene, Bermuda or St. Augustine turf develop deep root systems, which makes them better able to resist drought. These grasses grow best when the temperature is above 26 ° C, and their growth slows down when temperatures start to drop.

Generally, warm-season grasses require less water than cool-season grasses. However, where you live, the amount of precipitation, humidity and weather conditions all determine how often you should water. The type of soil can also play a role. For example, clay soil retains water longer, whereas sandy soil drains quickly.

• Cool season grasses

Lawns that are a mixture of bluegrass or fine fescue are considered cool-season grasses and actively grow in the fall, recovering from summer dormancy. Cool fall temperatures keep evaporation rates low, but these lawns need water weekly until winter puts an end to the growing season. Unlike warm season grasses, cool-season grasses are generally fertilized in the fall and watered immediately after fertilization.

When to water your lawn?

The best time to water your lawn

If you notice that your lawn has a grayish tint or appears to have a dull green color, this is a sign that it needs water. During certain times of the year, water is unnecessary because there is enough precipitation to provide the lawn with all the water it needs. However, at other times drought and heat make regular watering essential.

Depending on where you live, you generally won't need to water your lawn until June. In general, you can start watering it from late spring through early fall.

The best time of day to water your lawn

The best time to water your lawn is early in the morning since it is cooler and the winds tend to be calmer, so the water can be absorbed by the roots before it evaporates. If for some reason you cannot water in the morning, it is best to water between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. rather than during the day or early afternoon. During the day more than 50% of the water evaporates before entering the ground. Make sure the blades of grass dry before dark to reduce the risk of fungal disease. Watering in the evening is not recommended!

How long to water your lawn?

Knowing how long to water your lawn is a crucial part of keeping it vibrant and healthy. You should know that daily watering of the lawn will result in a shallow root system since the roots will stay on the surface where they receive a lot of water. Shallow root systems dry out quickly and weaken the lawn. However, infrequent and deep watering encourages the roots to form deep and develop strong systems underground. This makes your lawn more resistant to pulling, weather changes and disease.

In this sense, the ideal is to favor a weekly watering for your lawn. In general, your lawn needs 2 to 3 cm of water per week, so a good average is to water about 2 times a week, or even 3 in the warmer months. You can then adjust the watering frequency according to the age of your lawn. For example, if your lawn is several years old, one watering per week is sufficient.

To determine how long you need to water your lawn to get the required number of inches, place a plastic container in your garden and set a timer. On average, it takes 20 minutes, three times a week, to get 3 cm of water all over the lawn. This formula works best with healthy, well-maintained soil that provides good drainage while providing the right amount of water retention at the roots. Damaged or poorly cultivated soil will lead to saturation of the latter.

How much water is needed?

As mentioned before, most lawns require 2-3 cm of water per week to soak the soil deeply. If you go over this amount slightly, don't worry. Just make sure you don't flood your lawn. Certain factors can influence the amount of water required, such as the type of soil. Clay soil retains much more water than sandy soil, and a lawn established on sandy soil is irrigated less but more often. Another factor is the climate. Naturally, more watering is required if you live in an area characterized by hot, dry air.

What method should you use to water your lawn?

There are different ways to water your lawn and each method has its own advantages. So all you need to do is choose the solution that best suits your needs and your lawn.

Automatic sprinklers

The principle of automatic sprinklers is simple: the sprinkler emits a jet of water that mimics rain and covers a large area of ??the lawn. It’s a solution that consumes a little more water than the others.

Underground sprinklers

Underground sprinklers can cover any type of terrain. Once installed, they are very easy to use. The underground sprinkler consists of a part fixed in the ground called a body or tube. During watering, a part, either the nozzle (conventional watering) or the dripper (watering by micro irrigation), comes out of the ground to water and enters the lawn when watering is finished.

It is recommended that you choose sprinklers that are low to the ground and equipped with a horizontal spray for best results. By combining this method and a recovery tank, you could save a lot of water.

Smart sprinkler systems

Nowadays and with technological development, there are many types of smart sprinkler systems and solutions and most of these systems integrate with underground sprinkler systems. They have controllers that let you schedule watering using your smartphone, and also use real-time weather data to automate watering so you don't even have to think about it. With these smart solutions that use real-time weather data, your sprinkler only turns on when needed.