Watering the lawn

[bloc004]

Just wondering how often/ how long everyone waters their lawn. I know it depends on rain fall. Also, my wife keeps telling me that our water bill is going to be huge. My yard is only 1/4 of an acre so I cant imagine it would go up that much!

[jeffreyd]

well i have to water 3 times aday but i live in phoenix so today with a 100 outside, i watered at 5 am 7 pm and then at midnight. if i dont do it for about 5 min each time no grass, just big brown yard

[flyfisher03]

Generally up here about an inch a week is fine. When watering take a couple disposable pie tins and set them out to catch some of the water from watering and measure the amount collected and time it out, so you know how long it takes. Also water in the morning around sun-up or in the evening an hour or so before sunset. That way the water can actually make it into the ground and not get lost with evaporation.

[Steve Foss]

Generally up here about an inch a week is fine. When watering take a couple disposable pie tins and set them out to catch some of the water from watering and measure the amount collected and time it out, so you know how long it takes. Also water in the morning around sun-up or in the evening an hour or so before sunset. That way the water can actually make it into the ground and not get lost with evaporation.

Ditto.

We prefer early morning watering so plants don't stay wet overnight. Not much of an issue in our climate with the grass, but most lawn watering also waters veggies, flowers and shrubs in most yards, and letting them stay wet all night will encourage some types of fungus/disease. Morning watering brings the same soak-in benefits flyfisher mentioned.

[jeffreyd]

i went out this morning and there was dew on the grass, kind of weird i guess we had enough humidity overnight to cool the grass down. did not last long as it is nearly 85 already this am. i hate summer, only in az tho

[SpecialK]

Not sure if it's an issue here in MN but in CO if you watered too late in the afternoon or to early in the morning you would get fairy rings moss and fungus in the yard.

I always just started the sprinklers about 2 hours before sun up. As for how often I can't answer that for MN.

[setterguy]

Watering in the morning is optimal. The plant will have the moisture during the heat of the day when it needs it. Watering in the evening does help but your are now repairing instead of strengthening.

Water every 3-4 days, try to get just over an inch a week between rain and sprinklers.

Every yard is a little different, soil type, shade, grass strain ect.

[MNice]

zero. no watering here. IMHO I kind of think its a huge waste of a precious resource. I work for a city of about 24,000, and we pump about an additional 5 million gallons per day, mostly for irrigation.

[SkunkedAgain]

I don't water at all, even during droughts. Your yard will brown during those times but the grass rarely dies, if ever. I also cut my grass at a higher setting so that it is lush and strong enough to handle periods of less water.

[SpecialK]

I also cut my grass at a higher setting so that it is lush and strong enough to handle periods of less water.

+1

In Colorado you had to water because it was just way to dry there. I never remember watering here as a kid and doubt I would now either.