Stop watering your lawn every day! It’s not helping, and it may actually be encouraging weed growth.

Proper watering is one of the most important beneficial cultural practices that are crucial to weed control for your lawn. Simply put, healthy turf chokes out weeds naturally.

Today, we want to help your lawn and your utility bills by showing you the proper way to water your lawn.

How Much Should I Water My Lawn?

The first mistake people make is assuming they should water every night. They assume more is more. This is particularly true for people with automatic sprinkler systems. But strategy is more important than frequency.

Our golden rule is to water deeply, but infrequently. Depending on your grass type, your lawn needs

• 1½ to 2 inches (3 to 4 cm) of water every week

• Wetting the soil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches (7 to 10 cm) each time

You may need to water a bit more or a bit less, depending on how much rain you’ve had recently.

It’s also important to remember that these numbers will vary based on your soil and grass type. For example, Sandy soils require more water than clay soils, but you don’t need as much water to wet sandy soil to 4 inches.

If you want to know what type of grass and soil you have, and learn how to care for it, we can help! Weed Man can be your lawn care MVPs, coach, and nutritionist! You can start right now by answering questions about your lawn.

When Is The Best Time To Water Your Lawn?

Another one of the most common mistakes people make is watering in the evenings. This is usually because it’s the most convenient time to do it, and they see other people in the neighborhood doing it at that hour.

The optimal time is actually early in the morning, ideally between 5 and 9 am. You want the temperatures to be as cool as possible, so the water doesn’t evaporate.

At the same time, watering in the evening might even promote the growth and spread of lawn diseases in your yard.

How Long Should You Water Your Lawn?

Watering deeply and infrequently means watering each section of your lawn twice a week for about 35 to 40 minutes. Again, this could vary based on your soil type and the amount of rain you’ve had recently.

A lot of the time, it's less about a strict schedule and more about seeing how your soil is responding to the water, and using color as a guide to your lawn’s overall health.

For example, during the peak summer heat, you’re most likely going to want to water as often as needed to keep a healthy shade of green. Again, you will still want to try to focus on watering deeply in the mornings during these times.

The Screwdriver Trick

Want to know if your lawn is getting enough moisture? You can buy a fancy machine to test it… or you can use a simple screwdriver or garden trowel.

Just push your tool into the soil until you feel some resistance. If it goes in easily, your lawn is probably getting enough water. But if you have a hard time, that means your soil is probably too dry and/or compacted.

If the soil is compacted, this means water is probably resting on the surface for a while and not being properly absorbed. If this is the case, you may need a professional aeration to loosen things up.

Should I Water My Lawn After Fertilizing, Aerating, or Seeding?

What about watering after you give your lawn a treatment like a fertilization, aeration, or overseeding?

Contrary to what you may have heard, it is not a must after fertilization or aeration, but it certainly can be helpful. Just make sure that you’re following the watering best practices we mentioned earlier.

However, for seeding, you definitely want to water. It's different from regular watering because the seeds should be kept moist for up to 21 days to yield the best germination results. For seeding, that means that you should water each day lightly during that period.

And if you get a treatment from a professional lawn care company like Weed Man, make sure you ask your technician if you should water after the treatment.

Still Struggling Despite Proper Watering

If you’re watering the right amount, but still dealing with weed or lawn pests, or simply not getting the color or coverage you want, it may be time to bring in the pros! Weed Man can help!

“My lawn never looked so good as it has since I've started using Weed Man services on a regular basis.” - A 5-Star Google review.

We’re ready to fix your lawn! You can start right now by clicking here to answer a few quick questions about your yard.