Lawn Watering Basics
Lawns are thirsty plantings and need adequate, regular water to look and grow their best.
Water smart. Make sure lawns get 1 inch per week. Lawns, as a rule, need an inch of water a week, either from irrigation or rainfall. Invest in a rain gauge so you know how much rain you're getting. If you get a half inch of rain in a week, you know you'll need to supplement with a half inch of water from the sprinkler.
To measure how much water you're applying from a sprinkler, set out an empty tuna fish can or a cake pan to measure the water. When the container has a half inch of water, you know you've applied a half inch of water.
Water early. Water a lawn as early in the day as you can—pre-dawn is ideal. In the very early morning, there less evaporation and wind, and grass blades have ample opportunity to dry off quickly to avoid fungal diseases. If you're using a sprinkler, invest in a timer that attaches to the outdoor faucet so you can set it before you go to bed the night before.
Water well. It's better to water deeply and occasionally rather than lightly and often. Watering deeply encourages grass roots to go down deeper, thereby making it more drought-resistant and healthier overall.
As a rule of thumb, apply that inch of water all at once during a week, rather than spreading it out over a couple of days.
Work with your natural rainfall as best you can to achieve deep watering. If you've had 1/4 inch of rain that week, for example, you would then apply only 3/4 inch yourself, ideally within a day or two after the rainfall.
Invest in good watering equipment. Sprinklers work well in wetter regions of the country but in the western third of the country, an irrigation system makes a huge difference and applies the water more efficiently and with less waste.
If you do use sprinklers, have an assortment on hand. They're not expensive and it's important to have a variety from which to choose. Have at least one large one for getting big stretches of your lawn as well as one or two or even three smaller ones for getting into odd-shaped corners or other smaller spaces. After all, to conserve water, you want to water the lawn—not the drive or the sidewalks—and having an assortment of sprinklers helps you achieve this.
