When it comes to watering the lawn, the truth is that many of us aren’t really all that certain how often or even what time of day is really best for watering our lawns. Unfortunately there is no answer that will fit all lawns in all locations. The answer to this question is not only regionally different but also different according to the grass you choose and the overall condition of the soil that is providing nourishment (important nutrients and minerals) for your grass.

You should keep in mind however that over watering your lawn is equally as damaging as not providing enough water. Adding too much water to your lawn will actually wash away important nutrients while removing oxygen from the soil. The removal of oxygen lends itself to shallow roots, which promotes the invasion of weeds. I think stressing the risks of too much water should be considered before watering your lawn or setting up automatic sprinkler systems.

The best time of day to water your lawn is the early morning. This is the time when your lawn will ‘drink’ up the most water. It is also a time when a little water will go a much longer way, as evaporation is minimal at these early hours. You should also take great care to insure that the water is evenly distributed across your lawn. Watering at night may promote the growth of disease because the water simply sits on the lawn all night rather than being absorbed and used. Watering your lawn during the middle of the day in some areas my simply deep-fry your green grass rather than leaving it lush and green. The exact opposite of what I am fairly certain you are hoping for.

When trying to determine how often you should water your lawn there are many things that play a vital role in that decision. The weather is the most obvious of all determining factors. The hotter and dryer the weather the more often you will need to water. Now there are many areas that are hot and humid and these areas will not require nearly as much water as desert climates. The proper amount of water is more often than not a lot of common sense combined with a little bit of intuition. You will not need to water as much when the weather is cooler and the rainy seasons often provide a fair amount of natural water that will eliminate the need for adding water on a regular basis.

The best advice that can be given when it comes to how often you should water your lawn is to check the lawn itself. If the lawn is dry and in need of water it will not necessarily die but will take on a bluish tint that will be the first indicator. Once this happens you should take a little more care with the watering process and water a little more often. Other than that keep an eye on your grass for indicators of when you’ll need water and the weather channel for when the water may arrive through natural processes and water accordingly.

 Plants need water for germination, growth, photosynthesis, and temperature control. They need enough of it to dissolve and absorb nutrients from the soil to assemble the food manufactured in their leaves. About 90 percent of the water that plants absorb transpires into the air for temperature control. When they transpire more water than they absorb they take up fewer nutrients, and stop photosynthesizing. Then they wilt and eventually turn brown. Grasses have evolved to survive dry spells, however, by going into dormancy. The shoots and foliage die, but if the crown and rhizome, or stolen buds survive, their tissues will start new growth when moisture returns.Grasses differ in drought tolerance. As a rule, however, tall grasses with deep, well fed roots survive droughts best. Deep, infrequent watering encourages root development, and 12″ of water penetration is about right.

How much water should you use when watering your lawn? Deep watering takes the mechanics of soil moisture into consideration. Soil dries out from the top down. Good soils soak up water, hold it awhile, then let it drain down slowly. Clay takes a long time to absorb water, holding it so tightly that it does not drain away quickly and can even suffocate the plant. Sandy soils absorb water quickly, but it drains right out again. The best soil is a loam with enough clay and silt to hold moisture but enough sand to encourage good drainage,

If a lawn wilts fast as the ground dries out in spring, chances are that it has short roots, and the water has dropped below them after the top inch or two of soil dries out. A lawn like this will need water often and always have a damp surface, which favors weeds and fungus. If a lawn has deep roots, the top inch or so can dry out, discouraging weeds and fungus while the lawn draws water from deeper in the ground.

To get a deep-rooted lawn, keep watering it in spring until it grows about 2″ or 3″ high. Then start mowing, but not too short. The leaves will be manufacturing plenty of food; so stop watering. Keep up the mowing schedule, but let the soil dry out so the roots will have to reach deeper for water. Don’t water again until the turf starts to wilt. A wilting turf turns bluish green or shows footprints. When you water do it for a long time, at least an hour or two, perhaps more, to let the water to soak deep. Don’t water again until the lawn wilts again.

Watering has to be evenly distributed over the lawn for uniform growth and appearance. If the lawn has dry patches, measure water coverage in containers spaced evenly under the sprinklers. You may need to supplement automatic sprinkling with hand watering to wet the dry patches. To control water waste because of run-off, encourage the use of low-flow sprinkler heads. Since water flows downhill, sloped lawns won’t need as much watering at the bottom as the top.

You can test for penetration with an expensive electronic moisture tension sensor or by slicing into the lawn with a spade and feeling for dampness at the bottom of the cut. There are also soil coring tubes that let you extract a core of turf and soil to test for moisture penetration. It’s a good way to inspect soil texture and structure, as well.