Cincinnati and Dayton Watering Tips

Cincinnati and Dayton Watering Tips

It’s that time of the year again when lawns in Cincinnati and Dayton are starting to dry out and will need some help getting the proper amount of moisture to stay out of Summer Dormancy.  Below are some Cincinnati and Dayton Watering Tips for your lawn.

Water In The Morning

  • The best time to water is in the early morning.  The middle of the day is not efficient because many times the sunlight will evaporate part of the moisture before it gets a chance to absorb.  We strongly suggest avoiding any watering during the evening.  This is because the water doesn’t have time to absorb and stays on the blade of the grass overnight.  This will invite many types of lawn diseases to take over the lawn.  Avoid watering after 3:00 P.M. to avoid lawn fungus. If this is inconvenient during the week, then wait until the weekend to water the lawn.

When Does the Lawn Need It

  • When you see your grass blades starting to curl that means they are about to start turning brown.  This is the lawn telling you to give it some water.  Another sign is when you walk through your lawn, the grass blades do not bounce back up, and you can see your footprint…The lawn needs some water!!!!

How Often

  • The lawn needs about an inch of water per week.  During the Spring and Fall Mother Nature provides this.  During the Summer or dry periods you can either let the lawn naturally go semi-dormant or provide the inch of water with your sprinkler system.  We recommend watering your lawn every 3-7 days for 60-90 minutes per spot during the dry months.  Lawns are resilient, but still need an inch of water per month or they will die.   Keep this in mind if you do not plan on watering during the Summer and we have another drought.

Techniques 

  • Watering everyday is not good, and actually encourages a shallow root system and invites lawn disease problems.  Water deeply and infrequently.  This will develop deeper, stronger roots.  You want to water every 3-7 days for 60-90 minutes or however long it takes to get 1 inch of water to your roots.  This will train your roots to dive deep in between waterings.
  • Incline Watering and Poor Soil Watering:  Water prefers to cling to itself.  With this being said, the best way to water a newly constructed lawn with poor soil or an incline is in two sessions.  You should water for 30-45 minutes, let this soak in, then water again for 30-45 minutes more.  Think about pouring water onto a dry sponge compared to a moist sponge.  Which one will absorb more water?  The moist one!  This is extremely important for high clay soils we see in newly constructed areas in Cincinnati and Dayton.

New Grass Seed

  • If new seed is down always keep the soil moist, but do not allow runoff to occur.  Keep it moist, but not soaked.  Water ¼ inch per day spaced out, never allowing it to become dry.  Use a light watering system.  A good rule of thumb is usually to water for 10-15 minutes before work and then 10-15 minutes again after work.  Once the grass blade reaches 2-3 inches return to watering deeply and infrequently.

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