Lawn Watering
Just about every homeowner knows the importance of watering their lawn to keep it healthy. But there’s more to lawn watering than many people know.
What’s the right amount of water for your grass? How often should you water your lawn? What time of day is best for watering? Do you know your soil type?
Heck, how do you care for your watering equipment? Who would have thought watering grass can pose so many questions, right?
Not to worry, our detailed guides will answer these and many other questions you may have about lawn watering.
Determining Soil Quality and Moisture
Just before you turn on your sprinkler, there’s one other factor to consider. What type of soil do you have?
If you don’t know the type of soil underneath your lawn, you might risk creating puddles and runoffs.
In some cases, your grass will lack enough water even if you follow the suggested weekly water requirements.
Soil types include
- Clay
- Sand
- Loam
Each of these has different water retention properties that determine the amount of water your lawn will need.
To check these you will need a soil moisture meter.
Watering Your Lawn
When it comes to watering your lawn, here’s one thing you should never forget: watering schedules are not set in stone!
Weather conditions can affect your irrigation frequency. You must consider the temperature, humidity level, wind, and other environmental conditions when deciding the water requirement for your lawn.
Another weather condition you want to take into account when watering is the amount of rainfall.
As mentioned earlier, you don’t have to stick to your watering schedule or turn your sprinkler to full blast if there is recent rainfall.
- Watering Lawn in Hot Weather
- Watering Lawn in Cold Weather
Watering Automation
If it’s all too much for you or you are simply too busy but want a nice looking lawn, you can opt to automate your lawn watering.
Out of all the things in your lawn this is the simplest to automate but the scale of automation can go from simple timing systems to incredibly detailed automatic systems that measure soil moisture, predict weather and watering schedules.
If you don’t want to buy specific gear a smart phone app will do to remind you when and how much to water based on your current conditions and weather.
These both work for lawns or any plants you might have.
Lawn Watering Equipment
There are several types of irrigation systems and pieces of watering equipment. The ones you choose will depend on the size of your lawn and personal preference.
- Automatic Irrigation Systems: These systems monitor the soil moisture content continuously. When the moisture level drops below a certain level, the system automatically activates and irrigates the lawn.
- Smart Sprinkler Systems: These smart devices can automatically adjust the amount of water delivered to your lawn or yard based on weather forecasts.
- Drip Watering Systems: These are better suited for ground covers and landscape beds. They are also a great choice if you have other plants alongside your lawn. They feature small emitters (holes along the pipes) that deliver water directly to the roots of plants.
- Pumps: There are several watering pump options to choose from, including centrifugal, booster, self-priming, and submersible pumps.
Watering pumps are a great choice if you have access to ponds, streams, or other types of surface water. You can use pumps to supply water to their lawn sprinkler system and save lots of money on using municipal water sources. - Hoses: Soaker hoses are best suited for vegetable gardens and flower beds. But they can also work for smaller lawns. They use a lot less water and their watering action promotes vertical root growth.
- Nozzles/Sprayers: Watering spray nozzles are attached to hoses or any other water source. In addition to allowing you to easily regular the water range, spray pressure, and patter, the spray nozzles also allow you to turn the water on and off without using the main faucet.
- Sprinklers: Choosing a sprinkler head depends on the size of your lawn and the number of hydro zones. You can choose from fixed sprays, rotors, bubbler sprinkler heads, and more. Learn more about how to setup sprinklers.
Watering Equipment Maintenance
Irrigation systems are available as underground and above-ground systems. Whatever option you choose, the system must be functioning properly and efficiently.
This can only be possible with regular maintenance.
Although automatic irrigation systems can last up to 20 years or more, the different parts will need regular maintenance to perform optimally. You may even need to replace some parts from time to time.
If you live in colder climates it’s important to prepare your watering systems for ice and snow. Ice can expand and cause massive damages to all your equipment, so be sure to winterize it properly.
In warmer weathers you might be looking to make the most out of your existing systems by increasing the pressure.