What Time Of Day Should I Water My Lawn?

Morning, midday or evening… when is the best time to water my grass?
Obviously, to maintain that perfect, lush, green lawn, you’re going to have to water it.  That’s not rocket science.  However, as a responsible homeowner, it’s important, for two reasons, to understand when is the best time to water your lawn – firstly, because you want to do what’s best for the grass itself, and secondly, because you want to do what’s best for your back pocket!
Well here are a few tips that will help you get the best out of nature’s resource, as well as maintaining your beautiful lawn:

Water in the morning

The optimum time of day to water your lawn is early in the morning, preferably before the sun comes up, but definitely, before 10 am.  Why?  because during those first daylight hours, winds are generally calmer, air temperatures lower and the water is able to soak right down into the roots of the grass, without too much evaporation. Keep in mind, some Grass varieties will hold water more than others. So its always a good idea to check with your lawn supplier about how much you should be watering the particular type of grass you’ve purchased.

Avoid watering at night

If at all possible, avoid watering your lawn at night.  Watering at night means that the ground will stay damp for hours.  The moist ground is the perfect haven for disease, fungus, and bacteria, which, once they have taken hold of your grass, will be hard to eradicate.  So, by watering in the dark, you may actually be killing your lawn with your kindness!

The grass will absorb a certain amount of moisture during the night hours, however, it is at a much more reduced rate than daylight hours.  Therefore, water applied at this time is likely to be lost due to evaporation or being drawn away towards the water table, away from the roots of the grass.  The result is excessive wastage, which harms both the environment and your water bill!

If you MUST water late, try to do it between 4-6pm – this should allow time for the blades of grass to dry off before night falls.

Water deep

Try to give your lawn one decent soaking once or twice per week, rather than multiple light ones. This will encourage a stronger, deeper root system as opposed to a shallow and fragile one.

Don’t saturate

Over-watering will do just as much damage as under-watering.  Monitor the amount of moisture you apply and include natural rainfall in your calculations too.  Installing a timer on your sprinkler system will help avoid flooding issues, as well as just reading the natural signs of your lawn.

Good watering practices are essential to a happy and healthy lawn.  The team at Rivers Edge Turf can give you advice on how much water to apply and when so that you achieve maximum results from your grass.  Call us today on 02 4579 9009 and talk to one of our friendly staff.  We have the experience, the knowledge and the skill to help you create the lawn you’ve always dreamed of!