One of the most important parts of lawn care is watering.
If you want your grass to be healthy you have to water it properly, but it is all too easy to over water or underwater it.
Beginners are especially prone to making mistakes.
It doesn't matter if you use a regular hose or a water butt, an above ground sprinkler or underground sprinklers; you can water your lawn properly by combining a bit of common sense with some simple guidelines.
This article will help you figure out when, how often and how much to water and will also tell you what happens if you over or under water your grass.
When to Water Your Lawn Hands down, the best time to water is early in the morning.
The earlier you can do it, the better it will be for your lawn.
This may mean getting up extra early to turn on the sprinkler or valve on the water butt, but it will be better for your grass in the long run.
Less of the water will evaporate in the early morning hours and the dew will help add to the total moisture.
In general, the morning is also not as windy as later in the day, which means there won't be as much wind to blow the moisture away.
Applying water in the morning also gives the grass plenty of time to dry before nightfall.
This can help prevent certain diseases that can strike wet lawns.
How Often to Water Your Lawn This depends on a number of factors including the age of the grass, the type of grass, the soil, the time of year and the weather.
A brand new lawn should be watered every day for at least two weeks and possibly as long as eight, depending on the type of grass and the season.
Grass must be watered more in the summer when it is drier than in the spring, fall or winter.
The more the mercury climbs, the more moisture your grass will need to stay healthy.
If you live in sunnier climates, you may need to water every other day during July and August, while if you live further north you may only have to do so once or twice a week.
Another determining factor is the type of grass you have.
Some grasses require more moisture than others, especially during the summer.
Cool season grasses like fescue need lots of moisture during the hottest part of the year because they prefer to grow during the cooler months and will try to go dormant when it gets hot.
If you don't want this to happen you will have to drag out the sprinkler or turn on the water butt much more often.
Often the first sign that grass needs moisture is a bluish tint which develops on the blade edges.
The type of soil you have also matters.
Light, sandy soil will dry out much faster, while heavy clay holds moisture like a sponge.
The former will have to be watered more frequently than the latter.
If in doubt, you can check the soil at root depth, about six inches, to see if it is dry; if so, you need to apply moisture.
All of this is also dependent on the weather, of course.
There's no need to drag out the hose and sprinkler when it rains! How Much to Water Your Lawn This is another perennial question that depends on the season, type of grass and the soil.
Autumn and spring are generally wetter seasons and you can water less frequently when it rains often.
Conversely, the lawn will need much more moisture during the hot summer months.
In really hot climates you may have to apply this much a couple of times of week.
One rule of thumb that works for most situations is that the lawn should receive about one inch of moisture per week.
If you can get away with watering your lawn once a week you can use a gauge to measure how much you apply and how long it takes.
Some homeowners even use a tuna can as a measuring device.
You can also set your water butt to deliver the proper amount.
A word of caution is in order if you use an above ground sprinkler with your hose.
Be certain that the sprinkler will actually water your grass instead of your house or the neighbors.
Also be sure to move the hose around enough to reach every corner of the lawn.
Each time you move the hose you need to check for kinks.
Even a small kink can reduce the amount of water the hose will deliver.
The Effects of Under Watering Your Lawn Grass that is under watered will be unhealthy and possibly even go dormant or die.
Depending on the type of grass, the first sign of trouble may be the previously mentioned blue tint.
The grass may also wilt and will eventually brown out.
If you have a cool-season grass and this happens, there is no need to panic.
It has simply gone into dormancy and will return to a lush, bountiful green when the temperatures cool down and water is applied.
It is very important that you do not try to force this kind of grass out of dormancy by over watering it.
Doing so will give it a nasty shock and may set it back or even kill the weaker grass plants.
Grass that is underwatered for long enough will die, of course, and no amount of watering will bring it back.
Turn on the water butt or the sprinkler for hours every day and nothing will happen.
The grass will have to be either re-seeded or more sod will need to be laid down.
The Effects of Over Watering Your Lawn Over watering your grass can be just as disastrous as under watering.
Too much moisture can kill a plant's roots.
It can also make the plant grow shallow roots, which makes it more susceptible to damage from diseases and insects.
These plants are also stressed more easily than those with deeper roots.
This means they will suffer more if the water is ever turned off.
Problems with weeds are another side effect that comes from over watering your grass.
More weeds and weeds that are more difficult to control tend to proliferate in lawns that are over watered.
In addition, all of the extra moisture will cause fertilizer and herbicides to run off and contribute to groundwater pollution.
Above all, over watering your lawn simply wastes time and money.
Why spend more of either when you don't have to?