How often to water lawn?

[chickie]

I have a postage size front lawn and it's in full sun for most of the day. No matter what I do, it gets brown by half way through the summer. Is there a secret to when and how often to water? I've been doing every other day, early in the morning before the sun gets too high, but that isn't taking care of it.

 

[Atalanta]

Where do you live? That makes a huge difference. Here in Florida, regulations state that residents can only water twice a week, but I find that isn't enough in the summer. Every other day, as you do, would be fine here though.

 

[flowers39]

Always find out how often you are allowed to water the yard. I live in NY in he country so I can water as often as I want (well water). We also use big gallon drums to catch the rain and we use that to water too.

The key to watering is to water when it's not scorching out. Water in the morning before the sun is out and then again at night.

 

[flowerchild]

I agree with Atalanta. It depends on where you live. If it's out west somewhere, it's hard to keep a desert green. Do abide by the regulations of your area and like the others, I think morning would be best.

 

[Tess]

You may want to look at what type of grass you are trying to grow. There is warm grass and cool grass. It may be that you are trying to green up a lawn that does not do well during the season you want it to grow in, or the grass may not be suitable for the climate where you live.

 

[MrsGreenJeans]

Lawn watering

I read awhile ago that it's good to let your lawn get somewhat dry between the waterings. This is because it encourages grass roots to grow into the soil to seek water. If you water frequently, the roots don't have to grow down very far, becoming lazy, and will need more watering once those roots get established.

 

[Elanor]

If all else fails, get rid of the grass. If your yard is really small ,plant some cacti or some kind of sun loving fruit/vegetables. Try to come up with a pleasing layout and you will fix your problem and feed yourself. Well, you can't eat the cactus unless you find that edible kind.

 

[Daisy1]

Natural areas

While I love grass, I want it to be green. That aside, we have beautiful natural areas around where I live in various places. There's grass, but there are also natural yards with bark, mulch, stone and other things like pine straw. Those have their own charms as well.

 

[chickie]

Where do you live? That makes a huge difference. Here in Florida, regulations state that residents can only water twice a week, but I find that isn't enough in the summer. Every other day, as you do, would be fine here though.

Wow, the whole state has that regulation? I'm in the northeast, on the coast. We've had water bans in the past but only a couple of years that were super dry.

I read awhile ago that it's good to let your lawn get somewhat dry between the waterings. This is because it encourages grass roots to grow into the soil to seek water. If you water frequently, the roots don't have to grow down very far, becoming lazy, and will need more watering once those roots get established.

That's what I've always heard, too, which is why I was going with every other day. I'm going to try daily this year and see if it helps.

 

[Digger 1]

They do have water meter gauges that you can actually stick into your lawn and see if it needs water or not. They are cracking down on watering around here so a gauge is the type of thing that would come in handy.