There are a lot of direct benefits to maintaining a healthy lawn. Doing so can prevent soil erosion, create a cooling effect, help the environment, and much more. However, in order to properly take care of a lawn, it is important to know how to do so.
A big part of this is your lawn watering schedule. A poor schedule may leave your lawn with too much or too little water and can even cause grass to become unhealthy.
In this article, we’re looking at the best way to approach your summer lawn watering schedule. Read on to find out more!
Determine How Much Water Your Lawn Needs
The first step in creating your seasonal watering schedule is to determine how much water your lawn needs and how much it already gets. This will let you know how much additional water you should be providing.
The amount of water your lawn needs will depend on the type of grass it is made from. Research your lawn to find out what kind of grasses are there and how much water those specific grasses need. Keep in mind that certain grasses need even more water during warmer months.
However, if you can’t figure this out you should know that, on average, most lawns need about an inch to an inch and a half of rain each week.
Once you know how much water your lawn needs, you can look into how much water it is getting. Check the average rainfall for your area. For example, the area around Washington DC gets around 42 inches of rainfall each year.
You can get even more specific by measuring the rainfall yourself. Put a can or jar outside and measure how full it gets when it rains. Or, monitor a rain gauge.
In addition, keep in mind that your grass may need more water when the weather is hot and dry. During these periods, you should probably aim for more than an inch of water each week. This is part of what makes summer lawn care tricky.
How Long Should You Water Your Lawn?
Once you know how much water your lawn needs, you can start to plan out your weekly schedule.
First, find out how much water your sprinkler system delivers. You can do this by running the system for a half hour and then measuring the water it provides using methods similar to how you measured rainfall. Make a note of this amount.
Once you have this number, you can determine how much water your sprinkler system needs to output. For example, if, each week, you are aiming for an inch and a half of water but are only getting half an inch from rain, your sprinkler system should be providing an inch of water. Then, you can run your system for as long as you need to provide this amount.
If you don’t have a sprinkler system, you will need to be more careful with your watering. If you are watering by hand you will need to time how long you spend on each area. If you are using a portable sprinkler and moving it around, you need to make sure you are moving it around in a consistent fashion.
This is why a fully integrated sprinkler system is so helpful. It provides your lawn with a consistent amount of water spread evenly over the entire area. So, if you don’t have a sprinkler system, you may want to consider installing one.
When Should You Water Your Lawn?
The steps above will provide you with the amount of water your lawn needs each week. However, you don’t need to deliver all of this water at once. When to water your lawn depends on a few factors.
When you water, check to see how moist the soil is getting. If you notice that the water is starting to pool on the ground, the soil may be saturated. However, if you notice that the water is being sucked up instantly, the soil is probably very dry.
In most cases, you will want to divide your watering between multiple days. Figure out how much water you need to deliver to ensure it will penetrate the soil. This will give you an idea of how much you need to split up your watering schedule.
What Time of Day to Water Your Lawn
Now that you know how long and what days you are watering, you need to know what time of day you should water.
Make sure to water your lawn in the early morning. Aim for a time right before or right around when the sun rises.
This is important because it allows your lawn to get just the right amount of water. If you water in the middle of the day, the water will evaporate as you are delivering it. If you water at night, the water can sit in a way that may lead to rot or fungus.
This is why watering at just the right time is important. It gives your lawn time with the water but not too much time.
Creating Your Lawn Watering Schedule
If you want to know how to care for your lawn, it is important to know how much water you should provide it. Knowing this will help you build a good lawn watering schedule. This, in turn, gives you a healthy and beautiful lawn.
If you are interested in landscaping services that can help your lawn further, make sure to contact BAM’s Landscaping.
