Are You Watering Your Lawn the Right Way?

February 20th, 2018

Are You Watering Your Lawn the Right Way?

Florida’s climate isn’t exactly known for being gentle to your grass. The proper irrigation of your lawn is essential to protect it from the harsh Tampa sunshine, especially in the spring when the weather is dry. By diligently watering your lawn with the right frequency and water quantity, you will help your lawn remain vibrant and healthy for many, many years to come.

Water With the Early Birds

You cannot simply water your lawn whenever you roll out of bed or get home from work and expect perfect results. Due to the strength of the sun in Florida, watering your grass early in the morning is the very best and most effective time of day. This allows your lawn to absorb all of the water it needs without losing too much to excessive and rapid evaporation. Watering early in the morning also ensures that water doesn’t sit for too long on the grass and accelerate the development of disease from excess moisture.

How Much Water is Enough?

Just like timing is important, so is water quantity. Most guidelines call for between ½ inch to ¾ inches of water in order to thoroughly soak the grass without oversaturating everything. While too much water will harm sod, too little water will lead to dry or dead grass. You may be tempted to water “just a little” every single day, but this causes more harm than good. Your lawn will thrive with periodic but deep irrigation rather than frequent but shallow irrigation. When in doubt, place an empty tuna can on your lawn while your sprinklers run and check the amount of water collected after 30 minutes. This will help you track how much you have irrigated and adjust accordingly.

Choose Your Frequency Using Specific Guidelines

Watering frequency is just as important as its timing. There is no one simple amount of water that all sod lawns need; it varies not just between location within Florida and time of year but also between the types of sod as well. For this reason, it is best to ask your sod provider what irrigation frequency they recommend. As a frame of reference, St. Augustine grass with six-inch roots can make it up to six days between irrigation events in Miami in the fall, and up to 28 days between irrigation events in Pensacola in the winter. It’s all relative!

To make sure you are making the right irrigation decisions, reach out to a lawn care specialist like Green Solutions Lawn Care and Pest Control in Tampa, Florida. The team at Green Solutions LPC is dedicated to helping you cultivate a beautiful, lush yard that will improve your home’s curb appeal and help you better enjoy your exterior property.  Call (813) 684-7336 today to get started.