The Best Time to Water Lawns

Watering the lawn in the early morning avoids wasting water.

Watering your lawn properly provides the moisture your grass needs to thrive without wasting water or harming your grass. It's best to water your lawn late at night or early in the morning.

Advantages

Watering between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. reduces the amount of water lost to evaporation and wind, making watering more efficient. Watering between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. is also acceptable, because it allows the morning dew to dry, but avoids the heaviest winds.

Misconceptions

A common belief is that watering at night encourages diseases, because it allows the grass to be wet all night. According to Colorado State University, however, grass is naturally wet from dew at this time, so watering after 10 p.m. doesn't increase disease.

Watering Tips

Do not water your grass unless it shows signs of needing water, such as footprints or wilted grass. Provide 1 to 1½ inches of water at a time. Watering thoroughly and infrequently encourages deep roots and healthy turf. Watering your grass too frequently causes weak turf and disease.

References

• Colorado State University Extension; Watering Established Lawns; M. Gross, et al.; October 2008