The Best Time Of Day To Water Your Grass For A Lush Lawn—And Why It Matters

Timely irrigation is an important part of managing a lush, green lawn. This involves knowing when to water the grass, for how long, and how often. The time of day at which you irrigate also plays a role in lawn health. Not all lawns have the same watering needs, making it difficult to know when to water. Fortunately, the lawn provides clues that indicate when it’s time to water. Learning to identify these clues and adapting irrigation practices accordingly will help you save water (and money) while growing the best lawn on the block.

Know When To Water The Lawn

When it comes to proper lawn irrigation, the first step is to throw away the schedule. Grass should be watered only when needed—and those water needs change with the weather and season. Lawns tend to use less water when the temperatures are cool and on days with overcast skies, high humidity, or rain. On hot, windy days, lawns lose a lot of water through transpiration. Likewise, different types of grasses have varying water needs throughout the year based on when they are most actively growing. Of course, soil type, mowing practices, and fertility also play a role.

Given all these variables, how do you determine when the lawn needs water? The answer is simple, just look for signs that the lawn is thirsty. When you walk on a well-watered lawn, the leaf blades bounce back quickly after being stepped upon. When the lawn experiences water stress the grass does not bounce back as quickly and your footsteps tend to linger. You may also notice blades of grass rolled or folded up, a strategy to conserve water. These are signs that the lawn needs to be watered.

The Best Time Of The Day To Water Grass

Once you’ve determined the lawn needs water, check your local weather forecast. You may not need to irrigate if rain is likely. If there is not rain in the forecast, plan to irrigate during the morning hours. Early morning is the best time to water grass, ideally before 10am. Winds tend to be lower at this time of day and the sun is not yet high, which decreases the amount of water lost to evaporation. As the sun rises higher in the sky, it dries any remaining water sitting on the leaf blades, reducing the risk of disease.

Avoid watering the lawn late in the evening, which increases the incidence of fungal growth because the foliage remains damp through the night. Likewise, do not water during high winds, which leads to unnecessary water loss. Following these practices not only helps maintain plant health but also saves water.

How Long To Water Grass

You might be surprised to learn that most lawns receive too much water rather than not enough. Overwatering can be detrimental to lawn health by promoting thatch build up and increasing the risk of disease. The best way to water the lawn is to apply water slowly and deeply only when the lawn shows signs of needing water.

Our goal is to wet the entire root zone to a depth of six inches each time we water. Deep irrigation leads to deeper root growth. Those deep roots can access water deeper in the soil profile so we can irrigate less often, even during periods of drought. In contrast, frequent but shallow irrigation leads to shallow root growth and lawns that are more susceptible to drought stress.

The amount of time and water it takes to wet the root zone varies for different soil types and delivery methods (type of sprinklers). Experience will be your guide. As you adjust your irrigation practices, check the soil with a probe to see how deep the water is penetrating and adjust your watering time accordingly. As a rule, slow application is better than applying water quickly. You want the water to soak into the soil and not run off across the surface. Apply water only as quickly as it can be absorbed by the soil. In clay soil, you may need to break irrigation into short cycles, with a break between intervals to allow water to soak into the soil.

Water Saving Tips

A well-maintained lawn generally requires less water to keep it looking good. Follow a regular maintenance schedule throughout the year including proper fertilization, weed control, dethatching,
and mowing. You can maintain a healthy lawn while conserving water with these simple practices:

Manage weeds to reduce competition for water and nutrients.

Raise mowing height to encourage deeper rooting and reduce heat stress.

Use a mulching mower to return grass clippings to the lawn.

Use adjustable sprinkler heads to direct water onto lawns and keep it from falling onto driveways and sidewalks.

Switch to lower-output sprinklers to reduce runoff and improve water infiltration.

Install a “smart” controller on automated irrigation systems.

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