One goal every homeowner has is to maintain a lush, green lawn all year long. This can be a challenge, especially depending on how our weather wants to behave each season. There are many things you can do to keep your lawn in optimal health, including how frequently you mow, aeration, and of course, water. But, when is the best time to water your lawn?
That’s why we put together this guide. Today, we want to cover best practices in this water scheduling guide.
But before we dive into that, we want to first talk about your lawn’s needs — including water, sunlight, and food supply.
Understanding Your Lawn’s Needs
First things first: before we can talk about the best time to water your lawn, we need to talk about all of the things your lawn needs. First, sunlight. While there isn’t much you can do about shade on your property, you can do something else to help. It’s a process known as aerating your lawn. This removes thatch, a clumping of dead organic material from your soil. This helps both with watering as well as ample “breathing room” for your yard.
Living creatures need food. In the case of your lawn, it’s a bit different obviously — you’re not feeding your grass a healthy diet of protein, carbs, and fats like we need. However, your lawn does need nutrients, and one small Gainesville lawn tip is to use fertilizer during the right time of year. We recently published a blog post on this very topic, and the summarized version is that there are various restrictions and requirements for using fertilizer. It’s often helpful to work with a lawn care company that knows all of those details.
Finally, your lawn needs water. A dead or brown yard screams “Water me!”, and while there are often underlying issues that need to be addressed too, a regular watering schedule is important during the hot Northern Florida summer.
So when is the best time to water your lawn? We’re glad you asked!
So let’s talk about watering
You might be inclined to think that it’s okay to water your lawn any time of the day. However, the importance of timing cannot be overstated. For example, watering at the wrong time of day can lead to waste as water evaporates before it can reach the soil. This increased evaporation has another side effect — it wastes your time, something we know is all too precious.
Furthermore, if you water too late, it could potentially lead to various lawn diseases. The best time to water your lawn takes into consideration all of these possibilities.
The best time to water your lawn in the early morning
If your schedule permits, the best time to water your lawn is before 10:00 AM. This is before the heat of the day sets in and, in the opinion of most lawn care professionals, is the optimal time to water your lawn. This is because temperatures are cooler, the winds are calmer, and the sun’s overall intensity is much lower. Collectively, these conditions mean there will be less lost water due to evaporation. In addition, the time of day means that the grass blades can dry off before nightfall.
The best time to water your lawn in the early evening
If your schedule doesn’t permit, the second best time to water your lawn is after 4:00 PM. Though not as cool as the early morning, temperatures are often less intense in the early evening. The sun, while still a consideration, will have less of an effect here as well. While this doesn’t allow for the same amount of time for your lawn to dry before evening, it’s still a better alternative than a midday water.
Twice now we’ve mentioned the need for your lawn to dry out before nightfall. What’s the concern, you might ask? Disease. If you wait until it’s too late in the day, there’s a chance that the combined added moisture, along with our more humid Florida climate, might lead to fungal growth. Some places in the country, such as the northern parts of the Midwest, may be able to get away with it (and it’s popular in those states to water golf courses overnight even). We’re not saying you will grow mold if you water in the evening hours; it’s a precaution and something to be aware of.
Always avoid midday watering
If early morning is the best time to water your lawn and early evening is the second best, is there a worst? In a word, yes. The worst time to water your lawn — especially during the hot Florida summer — is between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
Why is this? Naturally, it’s the hottest part of the day. During these hours, temperatures are high which means evaporation rates are at their peak. As a result, much of the water applied during this time can be lost to evaporation before it reaches the roots of the grass.
Is that the only reason to avoid watering your lawn during midday? No. See, in addition to wasting water, droplets on your grass blades act as magnifying glasses. Have you ever seen how the light refracts through one of those? It’s pretty intense, isn’t it? Now, magnify that times a thousand as you apply it to an already brown yard. This has the potential of scorching your lawn in the intense sunlight and making its health even worse.
What about frequency?
As with all things, the answer to this question is going to be “It depends.” As you know, here in Northern Florida the climate can be hot and humid. These conditions mean that watering your lawn 1-2 times per week is generally sufficient.
But, that isn’t always the case. There may be other factors that necessitate additional watering. If your lawn is especially brown or we’re dealing with a dry patch of the year, you will likely need to increase your watering frequency.
And what about duration?
When watering your lawn, your goal should be to provide enough water to penetrate the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches. This encourages deep root growth and makes your lawn more resilient to drier conditions.
One thing you can do is to conduct a simple water penetration test. This can give you an idea as to how much moisture is in your soil and if you may need to increase the length of your watering routine.
The best time to water your lawn doesn’t have to be frustrating
Maintaining a healthy and vibrant lawn is something we know matters to our customers. That’s why we can work with you to develop a schedule — or even maintain your sprinkler system for you. Just contact our team today to find out more about our options and how we can help give you the best-looking lawn on the block!
Here are some great resources to help your lawn look its best:
When to Fertilize a Lawn: A Seasonal Guide for Optimal Turf Nutrition
How to Prepare Your Lawn for Spring – Maintenance Tips to Get You Ahead of The Game!
