How to Water Lawn Seed
Lawn seed requires constant moisture to establish itself into a lawn, but it also does not tolerate sitting in too much water. Gardeners must pay attention to the soil moisture while lawn seed is growing, because new grass has shallower roots than established grass and will not tolerate dry spells as well as older lawns. With some attentive care, gardeners can water lawn seed without much difficulty. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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How to Water Lawn Seed
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Make sure to spread lawn seed on already damp soil, as recommended by the National Gardening Association. The seeds will stick better to the soil and stay put throughout winds if the soil is damp when the seeds are spread. They also grow better when planted on damp soil.
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Water the lawn seed enough to keep it consistently damp using a gentle source of watering, like a sprinkler or spray hose nozzle, which will not disturb the seeds before they establish roots. The University of Wisconsin suggests watering lawn seed lightly approximately once every other day.
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Check the soil regularly to make sure it is not dry. Although lawn seed usually only needs watering once every other day, it may dry out and need more frequent waterings during hot temperatures. The University of Missouri recommends keeping lawn seed moist at all times, so check the soil and water it more frequently than once every other day if the surface dries out.
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When the grass reaches two inches high, start watering more heavily but less frequently, as recommended by the University of Wisconsin. Taller grass will not wash away as easily with heavy waterings. It can also survive with slightly more time in between waterings, since its roots can harness water from underneath the surface of the soil.
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Tips & Warnings
Water grass seed in the morning rather than at night. The heat from the sun will allow some water to evaporate throughout the day, preventing fungal and rotting problems. Watering grass seed at night means that the seeds will sit in water overnight and may sustain damage.
Too much water at once can cause grass seeds to rot, according to the University of Wisconsin. When it doubt, water newly planted lawn seed more often with less water at once rather than watering a lot at once and risking a fungal or rotting problem.
References
- Photo Credit grass seed image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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NEVER water at night. Not only does the seed sit in puddles, any growth can also promote another growth - mold.
