Everything You Really Need to Know About Proper Landscape Watering and Maintenance

What is the most important factor in maintaining a healthy landscape?

Proper irrigation is the most important factor in growing a lush, green landscape. That’s why we say “For A Beautiful Lawn, Just Add Water!”

Here are answers to some common questions about watering as well as some common watering mistakes and how to avoid them.

What Is the Best Way to Water for a Healthy Lawn & Landscape?

An automatic landscape irrigation system that can be adjusted to provide hydration at the ideal rate and the best time of day is the best method for watering lawns and landscapes because it eliminates work and worry and saves water when compared to manually watering.

If you don’t have a lawn irrigation system, get one because, despite best efforts, it’s too easy to unintentionally overwater or underwater your landscape – or forget to water when you should – when you are relying on rain, a garden hose and your memory to get the job done.

A smart lawn sprinkler system – equipped with rain sensors or a WiFi connection to a local weather service – accurately and consistently meters the appropriate amount of water for different areas of your property – and can even adjust watering cycles based on forecasted and reported weather. They can also monitor rainfall to stop watering when it’s raining, postpone scheduled watering cycles, if needed, after a rainfall, and increase watering cycles when warranted by unusually hot or dry weather.

Although investing in a high-quality automatic irrigation system can help keep your lawn and landscape healthy, many property owners are unsure about how to get the most out of their sprinkler systems. The following answers to common questions will help ensure that your irrigation system is achieving its full potential.

When should I water?

The best time to water your laws is around dawn and into the early morning. When you water later in the day, mid-day heat may cause moisture to evaporate before it can saturate the soil and penetrate to the roots. The dampness from early morning watering will also help keep the lawn surface cool, so that it is less likely to exhibit heat-related stress. Additionally, early morning water to protect your lawn from heat related stress may reduce the frequency of watering needed during the hottest weeks in the summer.

How often should I water?

How often you should water your lawn depends on whether it’s a new or established lawn, the type of soil, and the type of grass and other plantings that comprise your landscape.

Most grass species need about 1.0” to 1.5” water each week to thrive. If you’re unsure what type of grass you have, you ask a landscaping or irrigation professional. They can give you a better sense of how much water your grass needs.

Monroe County and the Finger Lakes Region have a lot of clay-based soils that retain water and should seldom be watered daily. Even when the weather is hot and dry, clay soil typically needs a day between waterings except for syringe cycles. Syringe cycles operate for short run times (i.e., 2-5minutes) during the hottest part of the day (e.g., from noon-3pm) and are meant to cool the grass plant – not water the soil. Syringe cycles can help discourage dormancy in the hot summer months.

Sandy soils, however, CAN be watered daily – but only during the hot, dry portions of summer. In the heat of the summer, water can leave sandy soil so quickly that in 48 hours, there is no water left in the root zone. If this happens, plantings will go dormant or die. Outside of the hottest driest times of year, sandy soil can be watered every second or third day.

Depending on how much water your grass and plantings need, and how much water your soil holds, your watering schedule needs to be sufficient to allow moisture to penetrate eight-to-ten inches into the soil. Loose, sandy soil may need to be watered more frequently than dense clay or loam (a mixture of sand, silt, and clay).

If you are just starting a lawn, each zone in the system will need to run for 60 minutes once a week and for short syringe cycles (e.g., five minutes per zone) up to three times each day there is no rainfall until the soil is properly penetrated (i.e., to a depth of six-to-eight inches) and the grass seed is fully germinated. The short cycles are designed to keep the grass seeds moist all day without turning the soil to mud, which will rot the seed. As the seeds germinate and mowing begins, the watering frequency can be reduced.

If your lawn is established – and healthy – and you have loamy soil – you can usually achieve appropriate levels of moisture by watering three times a week for 20 minutes if there is no rain. Sandy soil may need to be watered more often or longer, and clayey soil less often or for shorter intervals.

Rainy weather can provide your lawn with all the moisture it needs for the week. If you’re experiencing these conditions, subtract the total amount of weekly rainfall from your total irrigation needs, and reduce or suspend your watering cycles as needed.

How do I know if my lawn is getting enough – or too much – water?

If you’re watering every day, there’s a good chance that your lawn will be overwatered. And, if your lawn develops depressions or feels squishy underfoot or if the soil is eroding, you’re likely watering too much at one time or too often.

You might also notice thatch build-up—a patchy layer of organic matter that develops over the soil and between the blades of grass. This happens naturally but can be excessive when the lawn is overwatered because too much moisture is counterproductive to the organisms tasked with the thatch decomposition.

Most lawns should not be watered every day. This practice drowns grass roots, helps some weeds thrive, fosters insect activity, and promotes fungus and mold growth that lead to root rot. If you’re having issues with weed overgrowth and a brown lawn, you may need to cut back on the water.

Alternatively, if patches of your lawn are bluish-gray, or not springing back after foot traffic, or drying out, your lawn is probably not getting enough water. If some parts of your grass are oversaturated while others seem dry and patchy, consider changing the watering intervals and times for the sprinkler zones that serve the affected areas.

If your lawn appears too wet, or too dry, you can also call an irrigation professional to inspect your sprinkler system for leaks caused by landscaping activities, blockages, or sprinkler heads that are malfunctioning due to age or damage from lawn or snow maintenance activities. Blockages in a system can cause seals to pop and leaks to form around the broken seals and pooling around sprinkler heads. Blockages in a system can also prevent water from flowing to drip lines and sprinkler heads.

When should I stop watering in the fall?

To ensure your grass is as healthy as possible, most experts recommend watering it until the ground freezes in the mid-to-late fall. This is because while grass may not be actively growing for much of the fall, it is developing the root structure it needs to survive in the winter and thrive in the spring.

How can I tell if my lawn is dead or dormant and what can I do about it?

When a lawn turns brown, and the grass is dry, it may either be dead or dormant. When it’s dead, the plant is no longer growing and cannot be revived, and re-seeding or re-sodding will be required to restore the lawn. When it’s dormant, the grass is in hibernation to limit its intake of water and nutrients. If your grass is dormant, the blades will be brown but will be white or green at their base. Dormant grass can be revived with gentle, persistent hydration from an automatic watering system. Dead grass needs to be replaced.

If the lawn is dormant, continue providing about one inch of water per week to keep the grass alive. Block traffic to limit stress on the turf. When temperatures cool, resume normal lawn maintenance practices to encourage the grass to reenter its active growth stage.

If you’re not sure whether your grass is dead or dormant, try pulling out a small handful of grass. If it comes out easily, the grass is dead. If it offers resistance, the roots are still healthy, and the grass is dormant.

Here are some actions that can prevent grass from going dormant.

• Fertilize properly. Follow the recommended fertilization schedule for your grass to ensure it has enough nutrients to stay active, green, and healthy in the summer. Cool-season varieties typically need to be fertilized in the spring and fall, and warm-season varieties require an additional one or two midsummer fertilizations.
• Follow a regular watering schedule. Change the frequency and length of the watering cycles when the weather is hot (e.g., use two-to-five-minute syringe cycles during the hottest part of the day as described in “How often should I water my lawn?”).
• Before mowing, make sure the mower blade is sharp to prevent unnecessary damage to the lawn.
• Raise the mower blade cutting height to three inches—a level that helps keep the soil shaded to prevent excessive evaporation.
• Cut your grass carefully and develop a crisscross mowing pattern that will enable the grass to be cut in a different direction every other week.
• Use mulching a blade. Or be prepared to collect the grass cuttings to discourage mold growth – and so that your grass gets all of the sun and water it needs to grow lush and green.

What else can I do if I am overwatering / underwatering or have dormant / dying grass?

When you notice any of the issues previously described related to overwatering, underwatering, dormant or dying grass, schedule an inspection with your lawn sprinkler system contractor to ensure that your watering intervals and cycle times are appropriate for the season, and that all of your sprinkler heads are functioning properly without any leaks or clogs. After making appropriate repairs, you may need to adjust your sprinkler schedule to add or take away the volume of water distributed. Smart sprinkler systems are highly recommended to enhance overall control. These devices can allow you to easily adjust your watering system based on the immediate weather in your area.

What are the most efficient ways to configure & use an irrigation system?

According to some estimates, at least 30% of the average American household’s water usage is spent on outdoor applications. With a statistic like that, managing water use and keeping the grass green can be a difficult balancing act – but it’s not impossible. Here are a few things you can do to use less water on the lawn—without ruining it.

The most best and most efficient ways to configure a new irrigation system – or reconfigure an existing system – involve installing 1) a WiFi controller linked to a local weather service instead of a standard computerized controller, 2) drip irrigation for planting beds instead of spray heads or rotor heads, 3) stream rotors instead of spray heads for small areas, and 4) gear-driven rotors for larger areas. Existing systems can also be upgraded to include some, or all of these water-saving features as well. The most efficient way to use an irrigation system is to water at the right time of day (i.e., early morning), and, in some instances, for brief intervals during the day, fertilize properly, and cut your grass to the right height for the weather.

1. Install a WiFi controller connected to a weather service

WiFi enabled controllers connected to a local weather service automatically and dynamically adjust water use depending on forecasted and actual rainfall to keep plantings healthy.

If you don’t have WiFi, and your old irrigation system controller has wheels and push pins to adjust the settings, replace it with a computerized controller. Today’s computerized controllers let you program the exact times and locations of irrigation, so that you don’t use any more water than necessary.

2. Install drip irrigation for planting beds

Drip irrigation can be installed in planting beds to save water. Instead of using a spray or sprinkler head, these systems disperse small amounts of water through tiny holes in hoses positioned at soil level and covered with mulch. Drip irrigation ensures that plant roots get enough moisture and will drastically reduce water used in these areas.

3. Install stream rotor heads for small areas

Stream rotors save water and disperse moisture farther than non-rotating, small-radius spray (misting) heads that put down water unevenly and faster than it can be absorbed by the soil. As a result, water travels across from the highest to the lowest areas covered by the head, turning the soil in the lowest areas to mud and depriving the soil in the higher areas of the water they need. Stream rotors distribute the water more evenly and at one third the rate of spray heads, so it is absorbed into the soil where it is needed. If you have an existing system , switching from spray heads to stream rotors usually does not require any digging (except for Toro systems). So, for a small amount of money you can make a big impact on water use and the health of your plantings.

4. Install gear-driven rotor heads for large areas

Sprinkler heads with impact rotors—known for their tell-tale “tst, tst, tst” sound—require frequent maintenance and can waste water when they don’t rotate correctly. To reduce water use and maintenance, upgrade to more reliable, gear-driven sprinkler rotors that do a better job of distributing water, use less of it, and deliver a healthier result for your landscape.

Apart from the mechanics of water distribution, the reason that gear-driven rotor heads are better than older impact-driven heads is that the gear-driven rotors are completely enclosed in a casing that keeps the working parts clean and protect them from damage. Impact heads are not enclosed and collect pieces of mulch and grass roots that get inside the mechanism and stop them from rotating. If you are not aware that an impact head has stopped rotating and is spraying in one direction all night, your landscape is not getting the water it needs, and a lot of water is wasted as well. Additionally, a lot of time can be spent by you and your irrigation technicians to get dirty heads rotating again.

Using gear-driven rotor heads will save time, money, and water.

5. Water at the right time of day

The most efficient way to use an irrigation system is to water at the right time of day (i.e., early morning), and, in some instances, for brief intervals during the day. (See How often should I water my lawn.)

What other best practices are required for a healthy lawn and landscape?

1. Fertilize properly

Follow the recommended fertilization schedule for your grass to ensure it has enough nutrients to stay active, green, and healthy in the summer. Cool-season varieties typically need to be fertilized in the spring and fall, and warm-season varieties require an additional one or two midsummer fertilizations. If your lawn has become dormant – which can happen during very hot summers, apply fertilizer only after new growth has been restored for a few weeks.

2. Cut your grass carefully and to the right height

First, develop a crisscross mowing pattern that cuts the grass in a different direction every other week. Second, before mowing, make sure the mower blades are sharp to prevent unnecessary damage to the lawn. Third, raise the mower’s cutting height to three inches—a level that helps keep the soil shaded to prevent excessive evaporation. And fourth, if you are not using mulching blades, collect the grass cuttings to discourage mold growth so that your grass gets all of the sun and water it needs to grow lush and green.

3. Dethatch it if necessary

A hand-held dethatching  rake or motorized dethatching machine can be used to remove excess organic matter (thatch) that has built up on top of the soil. Thatch build-up causes water to lay on top of the thatch layer or run off instead of soaking into the soil to reach the grass roots. It can also foster mold growth. Before dethatching, flag or mark your system’s sprinkler heads so that they are not damaged by the dethatching process.

4. Aerate as needed

An aeration machine (aerator) can be used to punch holes in the soil to loosen it up, making more room for water to penetrate the soil and to allow for more root growth. Some people aerate their lawns annually, others less often. How often your lawn needs aeration will depend on the soil type and the health of your lawn. Before aerating, flag or mark your system’s sprinkler heads so that they are not damaged by the aerator.

If you are located in Rochester, Monroe County or the Finger Lakes Region and are looking for lawn sprinkler system installation or an upgrade to an existing system, annual maintenance, or repair, reach out to Irrigation Tech in Pittsford, NY. Our team of irrigation experts has been serving Rochester, Monroe County, and other communities in the Finger Lakes Region for nearly 40 years. With 10 service trucks, you can trust our fully certified team for fast and efficient service – including backflow device installation and testing. Call 877-8-IRRIGATE to speak with a team member or visit irrigationtech.com to learn more.