How much water does my lawn really need? The answer lies in what type of soil you have, how much sunshine your lawn gets, and the climate characteristics within which you live. The general rule of thumb though? Go with 1” to 1.5” per week.
It’s not only how much you water, but how you go about doing it. In order to get a lawn full of deep-rooted grass, you’ll want to water deeply and less frequently.
So, taking both ‘rules of thumb’ into consideration, water your lawn in only 1-2 doses, but try to max out at 1” to 1.5” inches total. Watering with lower amount of water more frequency can have the opposite effect of what you’re looking for: you might end up with drought like conditions and shallow roots.
If you have sandy soil, a good rule to follow is watering once a day early in the morning a minimum of 30 minutes a zone – the sandy soil drains much more quickly and your thirsty grass can’t reach it.
Clay soil, on the other hand, might require you to water closer to 3 times per week due to the qualities of clay soil (it tends to hold moisture longer).
But how do you know when you’ve reached an inch or an inch and a half? Simple: put out a handful of plastic tubs, measure the water they catch and make your adjustments from there!
Okay, how about time of day? Shoot for early morning or you’ll lose that water to evaporation on those hot northeastern summer days.
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