How to: Water Your Lawn Efficiently
For many, a lush, green lawn is a symbol of proud homeownership
as well as a pleasant place on which to relax or play. Lawns,
however, require a lot of water--water which, depending where you
live, may be in short supply. This article discusses some
strategies you can use right now to reduce your water use
and keep your existing grass healthy. Please use this article and related links to complete your dream of a lush green lawn!
Step by Step guide
- Find out if your community has watering restrictions. Many
communities have responded to water shortages by implementing laws
that restrict how many times per week residents can water their
lawns, or for how long, and/or at what times. If you live in such
an area, this article can still help you, but be sure to abide by
the restrictions.
- Water only when your grass needs it. Water conservation isn't
the only reason to limit the amount of water you give your lawn.
Overwatering is also bad for your lawn's health and can contribute
to the development of fungus and disease. Many people, however,
don't know that they're overwatering. Some types of grass require
more water than others, and environmental factors, such as
temperature, humidity, and wind, can dramatically affect how
frequently you need to water your lawn. Fortunately, the most
accurate way to determine whether your lawn needs water is also the
easiest: just look at the grass. When grass needs water, it will
begin to take on a blue-gray tint, and the older leaf blades on the
plant will begin to curl up or wilt. In addition, footprints will
remain on the grass for longer than usual, as the grass won't
"bounce back." When 30-50% of your lawn shows these symptoms, it's
time to water.
- Water deeply to encourage deep root growth. Frequent shallow
waterings encourage weed germination, and they also cause the grass
plants' roots to grow shallow, leaving the plant more susceptible
to drought and to certain diseases. Watering only when your grass
really needs it encourages the roots to grow deeper, but only if
you apply enough water each time to penetrate the root zone. The
most accurate way to determine the depth of the root zone is to dig
a small hole and measure how far the roots go down. Alternatively,
you can follow these general approximations: if you have a
bluegrass lawn, each watering should moisten the soil to 6-8
inches, while for most other grasses, the water should penetrate
8-12 inches. You can determine how long to leave the sprinkler(s)
on by using one of the following methods.
- Turn on your sprinkler for 15 minutes. After 18-24 hours, find
out how deep the water soaked in by digging a small hole in the
watered area or using a probe (a probe will push easily through
damp ground). You can also push a shovel into the ground and use it
as a lever to spread the soil apart enough so that you can see
several inches below the surface. Once you see how deep the water
went in 15 minutes, you can calculate how long you need to leave
your sprinkler on. For example, if the soil is damp to 4 inches
below the surface and your goal is to moisten the soil to a depth
of 8 inches, you'll need to leave the sprinkler on for 30 minutes
(2 X 15 minutes) each time you water.
- Estimate how much water you'll need based on your soil type. In
general, 1" of water will penetrate sandy soils to 12", loamy soils
to 6-8", and clay soils to 4-5". Using these estimates isn't quite
as accurate as digging, but it's pretty close, especially if you
have a good knowledge of your soil composition. To figure out how
long you need to keep your sprinkler or sprinkler system on,
calibrate your sprinklers.
- Water early in the morning. When you use sprinklers, some water
evaporates before it hits the ground. On a hot, windy day, the
amount of water that never reaches your grass can actually be quite
substantial. To reduce loss to evaporation, water sometime between
4 A.M. and 9 A.M., when the air is still cool and the wind is
usually at its calmest.
- Aim your sprinklers to water the lawn, not the sidewalk or
street. Slight adjustments to your sprinklers can save a lot of
water. Ideally, you shouldn't have to water your sidewalk, patio,
street, or driveway at all.
- Avoid creating runoff. Even with sprinklers correctly targeted
at the lawn, many people water until (or even after) water begins
to run off the grass and into the street or driveway. This can
waste a lot of water, and it isn't doing your lawn any good. If
water starts to run off your lawn before you've been able to give
it a deep watering, turn off the water for 15-20 minutes to let the
ground absorb the water, and then continue watering as needed
(rotating a sprinkler between one area and another will also do the
trick). Some soil types absorb water more slowly than others, but
runoff can also be caused by excessive thatch buildup, which can
promote disease--and which is sometimes caused by routine
overwatering.
- Let the rain do your work for you. Nothing looks more wasteful
than running your sprinklers while it's raining. If your sprinkler
system is on a timer, get install a rain sensor that automatically
turns the water off when it rains. If possible, also avoid watering
if rain is expected later in the day or during the next day. Your
grass should be fine, even if it looks stressed. Use a rain gauge
to determine how much rain you received, and then water a bit more
only if needed.
- Water problem areas by hand. Many lawns have one or two spots
that require more water than the rest of the lawn. A south-facing
slope (or, in the Southern Hemisphere, a north-facing slope), or an
unshaded area in an otherwise shady lawn are two common examples of
these "problem areas." If you water your entire lawn every time you
need to water these hot spots, you'll likely overwater everyplace
but these spots. Instead, water them by hand or use a separate
sprinkler that's not attached to the rest of your irrigation
system.
Stores
Here is a list of stores where you can find all of the equipment you need to grow/maintain a healthy lawn!
 | Gardener's Supply Company
Gardener's Supply Company serves millions of gardeners nationwide, offering everything from seedstarting supplies and garden furniture to flower supports and greenhouses. Gardener’s Supply Company is committed to providing garden-tested, earth-friendly products that will help their customers have more fun and success in their gardens. Gardener’s Supply has designed and introduced dozens of innovative, exclusive gardening products, including self-watering planters, a complete line of flower suppo... |
 | Home Depot
Hey there homeowners! You know who you are—and I think I know just where you are…in your yards and gardens over these warm weekends. I’m sure you won’t neglect your indoor spaces either! They need all the maintenance they can get, don’t they? Home Depot home is your one stop for all things that have to do with home maintenance; and it’s not just maintenance. It’s the exciting things too like decorating and building onto your own humble abode. Stop at Home Depot for tons of products: décor, build... |
 | LandscapeUSA
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 | Wal-Mart - Home & Garden
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Tips
- To check if soil in the root zone is adequately watered,
squeeze a handful of it into a ball. If the ball is damp and holds
its shape, the soil is properly watered. If the soil crumbles or
appears dry or dusty, it's underwatered, and if you can squeeze
water out of the ball, the soil is overwatered.
- Concerned about water conservation? Ditch the lawn. Unless you
live in an area with enough year-round precipitation to keep your
grass healthy without watering, lawns tend to waste a lot more
water than other landscaping options.
- If you live in a climate with moist, mild winters and dry
summers (i.e. a Mediterranean climate), consider letting your lawn
go dormant in the summer. You'll have a beautiful green lawn for
most of the year without having to water your lawn at all. The
grass will go brown in the heat of the summer, of course, but it
will green up again when the weather changes (though some types of
grasses may require reseeding in spots). This technique has become
somewhat fashionable among environmentally conscious residents in
parts of the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
- Grass that is overwatered will often exhibit some of the same
symptoms as grass that needs water. If you notice the symptoms but
the soil is damp, hold off on watering.
- While deep watering will help your grass become more drought
resistant, watering enough to moisten the soil below the
root zone is unnecessary and wasteful, as the grass won't be able
to access moisture deeper than its roots.
- Local extension services or water conservation authorities can
provide additional information on how to water your lawn and on
other techniques to save water while keeping your lawn looking its
best.
- Aerating your lawn once a year can increase the soil's
infiltration rate (the rate at which it absorbs water), and reduce
runoff problems.
Warnings
- Watering in the evening is not recommended. It reduces
evaporation (like watering early in the morning), but because the
above-ground portion of the grass plant stays damp all night, it
can encourage the development of turf-grass diseases.
- Newly sodded or seeded lawns require more frequent watering
than mature lawns. Established lawns with patch diseases may also
benefit from more frequent waterings.
Your reward!
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 Bet this guy followed my advice and now, green grass! |  |
 Lovely! |  Now doesn't that thick green grass look comfy! Or did this guy just pass out... either way :D |
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