As soon to be summer heat starts settling in later this month, many lawns may inevitably get a bit dry. North Carolina is not an overly dry state, but we do occasionally experience a dry spell or drought. Many people worry about their lawns not getting enough water and chalking up the poor health of their plants and lawns to underwatering, so as they try and correct the problem that may have nothing to do with under watering at all, they may overcompensate by watering too much.

Watering too frequently comes at a price, not only to your pocketbook, but also as a hit to the condition of your yard. Some of the issues that can crop up in your yard are due to overwatering are: fungus, mold, and bacteria growth, plant viruses and higher populations of pests such as grubs.

In addition to the nasty things that can happen due to over watering, you can accidentally drown your lawn’s roots and kill your grass or speed up the erosion of the lawn you’re trying so hard to maintain. That’s why it’s important to be mindful of best practices for watering your lawn, which we’re here to help you with! Read on for three of the best practices to be aware of and take a step in the right direction to keeping your lawn beautiful.

1. Water your lawn in the morning- This way the water has the chance to soak into your lawn and not evaporate during the midday sun and has the chance to dry up by the end of the day. Watering your lawn later in the day or more specifically between 10am-2pm where the sun is at its peak, can cause over evaporation and humidity which can harm your lawn by making it more desirable to pests, mold and funguses.

2. Get to know your lawn and the soil type you have- Knowing your lawn and all its soil perks is important because different types of soil require different frequencies of watering and watering schedules. If you have very sandy soil for instance, it’s more prone to drying out quickly and you will need to water it more frequently to keep it healthy. If you have clay soil, which retains water very well and is not great at draining, you want to water it less frequently or risk making your lawn susceptible to diseases and pests. We can check your soil type by running a soil test, which we offer as an “a la carte” service to our Premier Turf Care Program.

3. Water deeply and consistently- As a general rule, watering a lawn deeply means giving it about an inch to an inch and a half of water per week. When there is regular rainfall, no additional watering is needed as nature is caring for its own. In North Carolina, we do get regular rainfall most of the time, so there may be some weeks where you won’t have to water your lawn at all. If you do need to water your lawn though, be sure that you do so consistently which can be 1-3 times a week as needed. Believe it or not, despite what your neighbors may think, watering your lawn isn’t mandatory and grass can go dormant in the summer time to protect itself. Of course, in the case where we may be experiencing a drought, you will need to water your lawn so that it can survive the harsh conditions, but only in truly extreme cases. If you think you may have trouble sticking to a lawn care regimen on a regular basis, we offer irrigation systems which can help watering be consistent for your yard and make the process a breeze.

For more information on lawn watering best practices, we suggest you check out the North Carolina Environmental Quality post as well as this other post by Lucas Tree, located in Maine which has more tips here. 

We want you to see for yourself how we can help your lawn get beautiful, stay beautiful and provide years of enjoyment for you. Reach out to us and book a free consultation today! During your free consultation, we can discuss needs and tips specific to your lawn, as well as any questions or concerns you may have.