Water in the morning! Pests use nighttime to invade a lawn while unseen. Watering your lawn at night offers the main benefit of reduced evaporation; you conserve water while maximizing your turf's absorption ability without the sun's constant heat. Also, plants absorb water faster in morning than during afternoon. The result can include the spread of fungal disease like Red Thread, the shallow rooting of grass, the onset of moss, and the infestation of weeds and weed grasses.. The rule of thumb for lawns is to water one-inch deep each time you water. Q: Should I fertilize my plants during the summer? Morning watering allows time for evaporation and soil absorption, keeping foliage dry overnight. If water use is restricted or cost-prohibitive for you, your lawn can go dormant without harming it. Morning is the best time to water. Irrigate your lawn less often. In the middle of the day, water evaporates too quickly. In most lawn and garden situations, it's best if water is penetrating 6" to 8" beneath the surface of the soil. The ideal time for morning watering … Watering your lawn evenly. Summer time in the cool season lawn: it’s the smell of barbecue smoke, the sound of an impact sprinkler and the feeling of soft green grass under bare feet. Half an inch twice a week or 1 inch a week should keep your lawn refreshed. Check several locations to see if irrigation is even throughout the yard. In hot, dry weather, water shrubs and flowers daily. While watering during the day causes water to evaporate too quickly, watering in the evening allows water to cling to the grass for too long. Morning, around 6 to 8 a.m., is the best time to water. Pop-up sprinkler heads should run about 30 – 40 minutes. Summer Lawn Tips (Cool Season Lawns) By Allyn Hane - "The Lawn Care Nut" July 13, 2017. Instead of watering shallowly every day for 15 minutes, water deeply once a week for an hour or so (or how ever long it takes to apply an inch of water). "A wet lawn at night is the perfect condition for fungus to grow. Be a night owl. Water early in the morning and finish just before sunrise. By watering your lawn at night, when water collects on grass and leaves, much less water is lost to evaporation. When to Water. Kao’s own lawn utilizes water so efficiently that he doesn’t water at all. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Morning irrigation efforts keep grass strong for natural pest resistance, which means you don't have to rely on spraying harmful pesticides across your yard. What Happens When You Overwater Bermuda Grass? By watering your lawn at night, when water collects on grass and leaves, much less water is lost to evaporation. Schedule start times at least one hour apart. ‘How-To’ video creator Tom Mills makes world greener :26 at a time, ReThink Your Waste Campaign: Politics to Energy, Social Entrepreneur on the leading edge of best practices for the Tiny Home movement, New ‘Conscious Capitalism’ documentary to inspire business on sustainability, South Dakota's first Passive House apartments to benefit low-income families, Tips help customers manage electricity costs amid summer heat wave, Philippines envisions green smart city to combat pollution, Condo to become first high-end residential zero waste building in New York City, Americans continuing strong water-conversation efforts. The lawn should go to bed at night. Light watering is wasteful and ineffective for turf. Continue to site. Learn more about the cycle-and-soak method of landscape irrigation. Aeration also reduces the thatch layer, allowing healthy water absorption during morning irrigation. The a.m. is the best time to water the lawn because the air is cooler and there’s usually not much wind to blow the droplets. This turns the lawn into a shallow-rooted water junkie that demands a water fix every day just to soldier on. Watering lawn in morning or afternoon is helpful during the colder months because if a particularly cold night is ahead, daytime watering allows time for the moisture to move into the soil to protect the grass from frost damage. Watering Grass At Night Lawn care "rules" tell us not to water at night. Whether it is best to water lawn in morning or afternoon depends on the time of year. Evaporation loss is minimal because wind and sunlight are limited at that time of day. To truly want to cut back on water … There are several factors to consider when gauging the how long and when to water your lawn. Avoid watering at midday, (when water evaporates … Kao is well known for his breakthrough research findings regarding soil, water, lawn and gardening. Watering in the middle of the the day will waste water due to evaporation. Watering at any time of day is better than not watering at all. The blog also notes that early evening watering gives plants a bit of time to absorb water and dry out a bit before night falls. During spring and summer, lawns must endure afternoon heat stress because most grass species grow best in full-sunlight locations. Why Morning Is the Best Time to Water Plants in Summer. If you must water in the evening, try between 4 and 6 p.m. which should give the grass blades time to dry before nightfall. According to Kao, water vapor migrates upward during the day and downward at night. Watering in the morning is the best time because the temperatures are the lowest this time of day. How Often Should Grass Be Watered After it Is Fertilized? Also, it’s cooler and less windy in the morning, so you have less evaporation, which will save money on your water bill and take less time to get the water on your lawn. Watering on a hot summer afternoon is a horrible idea. Compacted soil and a thick thatch layer of decaying stems and foliage hinder water absorption and may contribute to puddling on grass turf's surface. Let’s talk about why and the reasons you should avoid watering at night. When the weather gets hot and dry, many people get the hosepipe out and water their lawns.. Rotating sprinklers should run … Instead, the best time to water lawns in summer is in the morning. Watering in late afternoon or late morning may extend your lawn’s natural dew period which could promote disease. Winston Kao is an agricultural scientist, entrepreneur and educator from Clearwater, Florida, and owner of "Go Beyond organic." Watering your lawn early in the morning is tremendously better than watering it at night, for completely opposite reasons. Aerating soil by removing 1- to 2-inch long soil cores from the ground rejuvenates grass by providing better access to moisture and oxygen. Aerated soil reduces puddling and disease while moving precious water into lower areas of soil where roots can absorb the water. It is ideal to water lawns about one inch of water per week. How much should you water your lawn? Watering in the early-morning hours is most effective; watering in the evening could encourage disease or pests. It’s better for the lawn to water heavily and less frequently, than to lightly mist it every day. By watering your lawn wisely, you can conserve a precious resource and save money on your water bill. This will close after 10 seconds. As a result, pathogens, such as root rot, set in and damage the lawn until you correct the soggy conditions. Photosynthesis is only possible in daylight and productivity peaks in the morning and evening. So, 20 minutes, three times per week will give a lawn about an inch of water. In general, water infrequently to a 6-inch soil depth each time; watering a little bit each day only encourages shallow roots that succumb to drought stress and possibly disease. Watering to keep lawn green "Water turf two to three times weekly - deeply, a good soaking, so you don't have to water daily," Patton said. Less is lost to evaporation and your lawn has time to dry off before nightfall. Writing professionally since 2010, Amy Rodriguez cultivates successful cacti, succulents, bulbs, carnivorous plants and orchids at home. The recommendation, Kao realizes, goes against nearly all available information about lawn and grass care. As grass blades swell with moisture, they are more difficult for small pests to damage; wilting grass blades allow simple access to their internal areas upon which pests feed. Spring Is the Best Time to Seed. Prefabricated Homes / Systems Built Homes / Modular Homes. And in the evenings, water can cling to the blades of grass overnight, which can cause lawn diseases. Although healthy turf may not have obvious disease issues from nighttime watering, irrigation should occur during morning to avoid possible grass damage over time. If you water your lawn too much in winter it will get brown patches and begin to grow weeds. Last night around 9:00pm at … Watering your lawn in daytime, says Kao, could result in up to 80 percent of the water being lost to evaporation. How Long to Water Your Lawn. Using these programs correctly will save water and money. While a lot of lawn care experts will tell you to water your grass in the morning or evening, new research shows otherwise. © 2020 Sustainable Community Media All Rights Reserved. If you have a summer thunderstorm or an extended period with no rain, you may need to adjust your watering time. The Conversation recommends avoiding watering in … The best time of day to water your lawn is when air temperatures are lower and there is dew on the ground. Take a few weeks to slowly adjust your watering schedule to keep the shock of change from further damaging your lawn. Lawn grass, and all other green plants, live by combining water and carbon dioxide in a process called photosynthesis to manufacture sugar, which they burn for energy. For each assigned day of watering, water your lawn 3 times a day, 4 minutes each watering. You should water most lawns so that the top 6-8 inches of soil is moist, which translates to 1-1.5 inches of water per week. Please sign in to continue or use another email address. When should I water ? Many bacterial and fungal diseases rely on wet foliage for reproduction and to spread. For example, soggy soil reduces oxygen supplies and causes grass stress. On average, it will take 30 minutes to get a half inch of water. Watering at any time of day is better than not watering at all. A wet lawn at night, on a regular basis, can lead to fungus and disease problems. You can sign into this site using your login credentials from any of these Networld Media Group sites: The email address you entered is already registered. Watering in the morning (before 10 a.m.) is the best time for your lawn; it’s cooler and winds tend to be calmer so water can soak into the soil and be absorbed by the grass roots before it can evaporate. Watering systems are not always uniform in how they disperse water. https://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/blog/watering-lawn-at-night According to Kao, keeping grass and garden plants well nourished, and maintaining a high ratio of organic material in the soil, should also increase the ability of the lawn, garden and soil to retain and utilize water. Watering lawn in the evening, you are to be sure the moisture absorbs. It’s recommended to water lawns between 4 pm and 6 pm. 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