The Best Time Of Day To Water Your Lawn

Watering is key if you want to keep your lawn green and lush come rain or shine. But if you water at the wrong time, the results could frustrate you. For instance, watering too late in the morning — especially in the summer — means you're wasting an important natural resource, not to mention time, effort, and money. Suppose you water late at night, then. Unfortunately, this approach means you'll be giving diseases, pests, and fungus a special invitation to ruin your beautiful home.

To avoid such problems and ensure maximum effectiveness, water your lawn before 10:00 a.m. Once you get the timing right, and combine that with knowledge of best practices based on your lawn type, prevailing weather conditions, stage of growth, and soil type, you'll have the most desirable grounds in your neighborhood. We've prepared an easy-to-follow strategy to integrate timing and other important factors into a foolproof lawn care strategy.

Donnie Shelton, the founder of Triangle Lawn Care explains (via Express), "During the summer I generally recommend watering in the early morning as the best time of day." To be precise, put watering your lawn in a top slot on your to-do list, between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. During this time, the temperature is relatively cool, so water will not be wasted through evaporation. This, along with calmer winds, means that moisture gets ample time to seep into the ground, allowing roots to absorb it to the maximum.

And that's where you want most of your water to end up: the roots, not the blades. Grass blades hold water, creating an ideal ground for fungi, mildew, and pests to thrive. By watering early, you allow the blades more time to dry out as it gets hotter, meaning you'll avoid the pesky problems you might have encountered if you watered at night or late in the evening.

What if it's not convenient to water your lawn in the morning? Fret not: Late afternoon between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. is still favorable because the sun isn't too intense, resulting in less evaporation. The grass blades also still have some time to dry out, hopefully keeping diseases at bay. 

If you're wondering whether your lawn is getting sufficient water despite timing it perfectly, you're not alone. Generally, watering twice per week provides sufficient moisture throughout; you definitely don't need to be watering your lawn every day. However, factors such as the soil type and the season could indicate the need for increased or reduced frequency of watering. For example, clayey soils retain water for a long time, so if that's what you're dealing with, only water your lawn about once a week. Sandy turf can be tough to handle, but if you water it around three times every week, your lawn should be set up for success.

If you have freshly planted grass, however, you might have to work harder. Remember, you should aim at keeping the first 2 inches of the topsoil moist for new grass. As such, you need to water it every day to promote strong root growth. When it's highly humid and in cooler seasons, though, feel free to reduce the frequency to avoid water clogging that could leave you dealing with root rot or stunted growth. Armed with this knowledge, you can set aside some time a few days a week before 10:00 a.m. and know that you're putting it to good use.