Watering Instructions

Watering for seed establishment

Now that your lawn has been planted, watering becomes the most important part of the job. Watering is so important that it can make the difference between luxuriant success and total failure. Failures further delay the look of a beautiful lawn and translate into even more watering. So the “key” is doing it right the first time.

The most important thing to remember about grass seed is that it must be close to the surface of the soil to germinate (sprout) properly. Therefore, successful germination depends solely on ample moisture at the soil surface.

Soil can dry out very quickly on sunny or windy days. During the first few weeks of watering, you need to concentrate on keeping the lawn surface moist. This is best accomplished by frequent light waterings, especially on hot, sunny days. Areas of the lawn in full sun need watered more often than partially shaded areas. Lawn edges and curb areas are very easy to miss. Slopes always dry out faster than level areas.  The best rule of thumb is: “If in doubt – WATER!  Just avoid pooling and runoff as this can be quite detrimental to the young seed.

Spring watering

Watering lawns in spring is only recommended if the lawn suffers drought stress caused by a prolonged time period of no significant rain. Most people tend to over water in the spring out of excitement also known as spring fever.  Irrigation should only act as a supplement to rain.

Watering is sometimes needed, however, after we apply a fertilizer application please wait at least 24 hours before watering. If rainfall is not forecasted within 4-5 days, watering is recommended at this time to incorporate the application into the soil.

Summer watering

Grass is healthiest and most resilient when it is slightly thirsty, constantly seeking water and establishing a deep root system. Encouraging a deep root system will greatly aid the lawn in surving the summer heat.

Frequent short cycle watering stops the roots from seeking out moisture and causes shallow rooting.  This makes grass ill prepared for summer stress.  There might not actually be a need to use sprinklers until sometime in June, depending on the rain fall.

You can use water more wisely and effectively by concentrating higher use amounts less often rather than lower use amounts more frequently.

Guideline to amount of watering

There are different types of hose-end sprinkler attachments, some that move and some that don’t. We highly recommend the impact sprinkler or rotor sprinkler.

• Oscillating sprinklers roll back and forth and spray vertically, which may lose a lot of water to evaporation.
• Impact sprinklers spin slowly around or from side to side and apply water at a slower rate than oscillating sprinklers. They lose less to evaporation.
• Pop-up sprinklers move only up and down while applying water. They can irrigate faster than some soils can handle, regardless of the spray pattern. These sprinklers should be re-positioned and re-aimed often to avoid wasting water.

If the soil is getting too much water too fast, water will run off and be wasted. This is especially true on slopes.  Watering times suggested below may have to be adjusted by shortening the watering times in each area and watering twice in a row to ensure absorption instead of run off.  Start in one area and proceed to the rest of the lawn in 2 back-to-back cycles.  For those of you with busy schedules, sophisticated timers are made which are easy to use for your hose end lawn sprinklers so you can water more effectively and efficiently without the hassle of having to babysit sprinklers.

Watering for drought conditions

Recommended watering minutes per zone (for lawn, based on three days per week). Adjust and lower times as needed to accommodate for  shaded  or low areas.