Maintaining a lush, green lawn requires more than just regular mowing and fertilization, it also requires proper watering. But not all times of day are equal when it comes to watering your grass. Understanding when to avoid watering can help prevent issues like disease pressure, water evaporation, and a stressed lawn. Here’s why watering at the wrong time can do more harm than good.
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The Worst Time to Water: Midday
Watering your grass during the midday hours, especially when the sun is at its peak, is the least effective and most wasteful time to water your lawn. The reason for this is because the intense heat causes the water to quickly evaporate, meaning much of the water intended for your grass is lost before it can penetrate the soil. This not only wastes water but leaves your lawn thirsting for water as it’s unable to absorb any of it before it evaporates.
Evening Watering: A Close Second
While it might seem like common sense to water your lawn in the evening to avoid the heat of the day, this is also a bad time to water. Watering in the evening can leave the grass wet and soggy overnight, creating a damp environment that promotes the growth of diseases such as fungus and mildew. Without the sun to help dry the grass, these turf diseases can take hold and damage your lawn, leading to brown patches and other issues that require quite a bit of work to reverse.
The Best Time to Water: Early Morning
To keep your lawn healthy and green, the best time to water grass is early in the morning, ideally between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. During these morning hours, temperatures are cooler, and winds are typically calmer, reducing evaporation and allowing the water to soak deeply into the soil. This gives the grass plenty of time to absorb the moisture before the heat of the day sets in, but also gives excess moisture a way to evaporate once the sun comes out, promoting a healthy water-to-soil ratio.
Not Sure How Much Water Your Grass Is Getting?
Not only is watering at the right time important, but how much water your grass is receiving during watering is also important. One the easiest ways to measure the amount of water your lawn is getting is by using rain gauges.
Most grasses need 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. This means that if you are watering three times per week, each watering session should provide approximately .5 inches of water. This amount of water helps to promote deeper root growth compared to more frequent and shallow watering.
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Watering In The Early Morning Is Best
Watering your lawn at the right time can make a huge difference in the health and appearance of your grass. Avoiding midday and evening watering, which is the worst time to water grass, will not only conserve water but also protect your lawn from stress and disease pressure. If you want a healthy lawn, stick to early morning watering to promote a more vibrant lawn that will make your neighbors jealous.