How to Water Your Yard the Right Way

Do you know the proper way to water your lawn and garden?

It may sound like a silly question, but some homeowners aren't aware that there is a right way and a wrong way to water your lawn. This is especially important for homeowners who undertake a lot of landscaping home improvement projects. Let's discover how improper watering habits could harm your lawn and identify how to water it the correct way.

Improper Watering: A Common Lawncare Mistake

Do you water your lawn every day or only water it once a month? With so many home improvement projects on your to-do list, do you opt to let mother nature take care of the watering while you focus on another important task? All lawns are unique, sometimes even from house to house based on the type of grass growing, presence of flower beds, or simply the positioning of the home in relation to direct sunlight. To tend to your lawn properly, you must water it with these factors in mind.

How could improper watering damage your lawn? Too much, too little, or too infrequent watering is not good for your grass or plants. Five common mistakes homeowners make when watering their grass include:

• Assuming that high heat levels require more frequent watering. Extreme heat will damage your lawn regardless of how well you water it. It's best to continue proper watering habits until the temperature cools down then you can tend to the severely damaged areas.
• Following advice from the neighbors. Unless they are lawn care professionals who understand the level of care your specific lawn needs, their advice might not be the best practice. It's also wise to not follow the herd's watering habits — watering in the evening, for instance, is an instant way to get fungus to grow.
• Not adjusting your sprinkler timer according to seasonal changes. Drought or heavy rains will impact your lawn, which means you need to adjust your timer to control the watering time.
• Spending too long or too little time watering the lawn. Some homeowners believe they need to water once a day while others think once a week will suffice. By not giving the grass the amount of water it needs, it can get stressed and suffer.

How to Water Your Lawn the Right Way

Make lawn care easy so you can focus on other home improvement projects with these tips for watering your lawn the correct way.

• Most lawn care professionals recommend watering your lawn in the morning before 10 AM because the temperature and wind levels are lower.
• Give the lawn one to one-and-a-half inches of water every week at the very least.  
• Don't cut the lawn too short. This will stress the grass and stunt its growth, which may encourage you to overwater and cause further harm to the grass.
• Soak the water six inches into the soil. You can test this by sticking a screwdriver into the soil after your watering cycle. If the blade easily penetrates the soil, it's properly saturated.
• Choose to water the lawn two or three times each week instead of once a day.
• If you're watering so long that water begins to run down the street, you're oversaturating the lawn.
• Weed your lawn so that these intrusive species aren't stealing water from the grass.

Maintaining a presentable lawn is one home improvement project that enhances your curb appeal and creates an enjoyable space for your family. Use these watering tips to keep your grass looking green all year long.

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