How much water is too much water when it comes to acquiring a perfectly watered lawn? What’s the correct water amount that will keep your lawn healthy and give it that perfect green luster?
Rarely will a person put too little water. Most often they will apply too much water (yes even the gardeners we pay thousands of dollars to each year.)
With that in mind, it’s a must that you have knowledge of the right amount of water that will give you that perfect green lawn.
After reading this article, you will no doubt have the lawn care knowledge to achieve that goal. So, let’s get into it by first exploring some of the negative effects over-watering can have on your grass.
How can over-watering impact your lawn?
If you’re applying too much water to your lawn, there are a few warning signs you might notice. Let’s start with this one…
*Fungus: Over-watering keeps grass wet which promotes fungal growth. If you notice mushrooms or reddish/orange grass (which is a symptom of rust fungus) you’re probably over-watering.
*Weeds: In particular crabgrass and yellow nutsedge, both are a lawn care nightmare. Both are known to thrive in over-watered areas that are too damp for healthy grass to grow.
*Insects and Pests: When you over-water your grass grows what’s known as thatch. Which is basically just partially decomposed plant material that forms a dense mat on the soil surface. This stuff is a breeding ground for insects and pests. What’s even worse, the thatch often provides a habitat for them to hide from pesticide!
Now that we know some of the signs and symptoms of over-watering let’s get to the matter at hand.
How much water is too much water for your lawn?
When it comes to a perfectly watered lawn, less is often more.
You don’t need to water your grass for 10-15 minutes every day. So turn off the sprinkler and put away the water hose. For most lawns, all that’s needed is one deep watering, once per week. Depending on how big your lawn is a deep watering session will take between 1-3 hours. During a deep watering session, the goal is to lay down 1 inch of water on your lawn. That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less.
If you use a sprinkler system, you can measure how long it takes for your system to put out an inch of water by placing coffee cans in the yard and measuring periodically until the can has filled with an inch of water. Getting your sprinkler amount right is mandatory if you want a healthy lawn.
Conclusion
I don’t think many would disagree with this statement. One thing you fall in love with when you become a homeowner is your lawn. You want the blades just right, the grass the perfect green, the landscape free of brown spots and insects. Indeed, for many of us, our lawns are somewhat of a trophy. If you want that trophy to shine bright and beautiful, be sure to not over-water!