Lawns: Watering

As with many plants living in the UK, the amount of rain dropped is usually enough to allow lawns to grow sufficiently, but unfortunately, there can be dry periods where insufficient moisture gets to the roots, especially in late spring and summer.

Tell tale signs start appearing in lawns when the top 10cm of topsoil becomes dried out and the grass starts to become a pale straw colour. Occasionally the grasses may die, especially with the annual meadow grass varieties which are more susceptible to lack of water. That said, lawn turf rarely dies in the UK and the grass soon recovers after watering. The problem is that invading weeds can be more tolerant of drought conditions than grass so they can use the situation to spread. 

How do I help my grass survive?

• Where compaction is a problem, spike the turf in autumn months.
• After spiking in autumn, top dress the lawn.
• Always cut to the recommended height, especially at the lower levels.
• Let the grass grow slightly longer when the weather is drier.
• In times of drought you can leave the clippings on the lawn when cut.
• Ensure the lawn is fed regularly. A phosphate based fertilizer applied a minimum of once a year will help the grass produce a good root system.
• Thatch should be scarified in autumn.
• Water the lawn evenly on a regular basis.

When should I water my lawn?

The lawn will lose its sense of spring beneath your feet when it starts drying up. This is by far the best time to start watering. The next stage is when the grass starts to change colour and the bright green fades to a grey-green colour. If the grass turns yellow, then brown, moss and weeds will invade and it's too late!

Before watering, check out the state of the earth. If you water and the ground is compacted and cracked, the water will run off. If this is the case, spike or prick the surface first.

In terms of the time of day to water, leave it till the evening or early morning when the temperature is cooler, therefore evaporation will be at its minimum.

How often should I water my lawn?

This will obviously depend on the weather and soil type. Sand based soils are more prone to drought conditions than heavy soil based soils. As a rough guide, watering lawns under 'normal' dry conditions should be approximately once a week. If the weather is warmer, then twice a week and cooler weather once every week and a half.

If you allow the lawn to dry out somewhat between watering, letting the air in to allow deeper development of roots you will not go too far wrong. Watering every day or two days is not good practice as it will allow moss and Pearlwort to spread and only allow grass roots to grow shallow roots.

Lawn Care:
 Jobs to do
 Equipment
 Mowing
 When do I cut my grass?
 Top dressing
 Feeding
 Watering
 Trimming
 Raking and brushing
 Aerating 
 Liming and Rolling

Lawn Problems:
 Pests
 Diseases
 Weeds
 Brown patches
 Repairs