Watering the lawn: this is how to water properly

The correct watering of the lawn also has to be learned. We reveal whether it is better to water your green in the morning or in the evening, how much you should water and what you should pay special attention to when watering new lawn.

For many people, a healthy, green lawn is an absolute must in the garden. However, especially in summer, it is often not that easy to keep the lawn fresh and vital: drought and heat put the lawn under severe damage and the grass becomes withered and brown. The best way to prevent withered, unsightly lawns is to water the lawn. In this article you will find out what you have to pay attention to and how to water a lawn correctly.

When should you water your lawn?

If the top layer of soil has dried out, it is advisable to water the lawn. This mainly happens in summer, but the soil can also sometimes need additional moisture in spring or autumn. And the time of day is also crucial: It makes most sense to water the lawn in the morning and in the eveningas many gardeners know.

Water the lawn in spring

The new growing season for the lawn begins in spring. This time of year is particularly important for lawn care, because this is where the foundation for a vital lawn is laid. While raking, mowing and that Fertilizing the lawn For most people, part of spring lawn care, many are unsure about watering the lawn. In fact, watering the lawn in spring is often not necessary, as the grass is sufficiently supplied with moisture from rainfall. However, if the spring is particularly warm or if there are long dry periods, you should also water the lawn. Even with very sandy soils, it may be necessary to water the lawn as early as spring. As soon as the lawn has a grayish tinge or shows signs of wilting, the lawn should also be watered in spring.

Water the lawn in summer

If you value a green carpet in summer, you should pay particular attention to watering the lawn properly. In fact, watering the lawn in summer is essential to keep the grass vital. The reason: an average of four liters of water evaporate on one square meter of lawn every summer day. At the same time, the roots of the grasses only penetrate about 15 centimeters into the ground - water reserves in the lower layers of the earth are therefore hardly usable for them. Coupled with the heat and dryness of summer, this combination ensures that a lawn needs to be properly moisturized in order to stay beautifully green in summer.

But many gardeners ask themselves: Should you really water the lawn in the sun or in the heat? The underlying fear is that the lawn could be burned by the "magnifying glass" effect of the water droplets. In fact, watering the lawn when the sun is shining is not recommended - this recommendation but is not based on the magnifying glass effect, because it is one that has long since been refuted Myth. Rather, the reduced efficiency and the desire to save water speak against watering in the heat and in the sun. If you were to water the lawn at noon, a large part of the amount of water would evaporate, meaning that more water is needed to water the lawn sufficiently. When asked when to water the lawn, the answer in summer is that the the early morning or late evening hours are best, because at these times it is am coolest.

Tip: In order to further increase the drought tolerance of the lawn during the summer, it is advisable to start the lawn with a Autumn lawn fertilizer prepare. The water absorption of the grass is optimized by the sufficient potassium supply, while the water evaporation is minimized - this makes the lawn much more heat-tolerant.

Water the lawn in autumn and winter

Many people think that the lawn doesn't need to be watered after the summer. Unfortunately, this is a misconception: in fact, the lawn is especially in the early Autumn months continue to depend on a supply of moisture, as it is often too long here Dry spells are coming. In the further course of autumn, it is only necessary to water the lawn if the drought persists. This is usually not necessary in winter. However, if there are winter dry periods and permanent temperatures above 5 ° C, it is worth checking the soil. If it is very dry, the lawn can also be watered in exceptional cases in winter.

Should you water the lawn in the morning or in the evening?

Both times are quite suitable for adding water to the lawn, because in contrast to noon the temperatures and thus the evaporation of the water in the morning and in the evening are significantly lower. Nevertheless, there are some advantages to watering the lawn in the morning instead of in the evening: On the one hand, the temperatures are lower in the early morning. For this reason, the smallest amount of water evaporates in the morning and the lawn is watered more efficiently and with less water. It is also not ideal if the lawn is moistened in the evening and does not dry out completely for hours: the infestation by fungi is then a little more likely.

Watering the lawn properly: this is how you water it

Water hose, lawn sprinkler or automatic irrigation: there are now a variety of different methods to water the lawn. Which one you choose ultimately depends not only on the size of the garden but also on personal preferences. But even if the methods differ from one another, there are still a few things to keep in mind if you want to water the lawn properly. During certain phases of its life, for example when sowing or after fertilizing, the lawn needs special attention when it comes to giving water. But the frequency and the amount of water should also be adjusted if you want to water the lawn properly.

Water new lawn

If you have a new Lay out the lawn, you can hardly wait for the first green stalks to appear. But above all, it needs care so that the new piece of lawn will soon turn into a green carpet. If the lawn seeds have been distributed, worked in and pressed onto the prepared soil, the The work is not finished yet - the freshly sown lawn has to be watered in the following days will. To ensure even moistening, it is advisable to use a lawn sprinkler to give the lawn seeds the cool water. In dry weather, the new lawn should be watered about four times a day for about ten minutes. Good turf soil like the one that is reduced in size Plantura organic lawn soil offers the seeds some additional protection against rapid drying out, as they store the water better. However, even with their use, adequate irrigation is essential for successful sowing.

But how long do you have to water the lawn after sowing? This depends heavily on the weather and the seeds: until germination, the freshly sown lawn should be watered four times a day for about ten minutes. It takes one to three weeks for the lawn seeds to germinate - after this time you slowly begin to extend the watering intervals. The new time interval for watering the lawn should be around 24 to 48 hours in dry weather. After eight to twelve weeks, a dense lawn should have formed.

When laying turf, it is also important to ensure that there is sufficient irrigation. The turf should be supplied with around 10 to 15 liters of water per square meter after it has been laid to prevent the lawn from drying out. In the case of larger lawns or very hot weather, it is even advisable to irrigate contiguous areas before the rest of the turf is laid. The new lawn should also be watered for the next two weeks so that it can take root in the subsoil as quickly as possible. Daily sprinkling with around 10 to 15 liters of water per square meter is recommended.

Tip: How do you find out how much water has been distributed per square meter? The easiest way is to set up a rain gauge and simply read the amount on its scale.

Water the lawn after fertilizing

To keep the lawn healthy and vigorous, many gardeners like to use lawn fertilizer, such as this Plantura organic lawn fertilizer. Using our mainly organic fertilizer, we can easily explain to you why watering is important after fertilizing: Just 20 to 30 minutes of irrigation are enough, during which the microorganisms in the soil are adequately supplied with vital water will. Because only with their help can the fertilizer be implemented. In this way, the nutrients it contains become available to the plants and the soil is improved. If you do not water the lawn after fertilizing, the microorganisms can only convert the fertilizer slowly. In case of doubt, the effect of the fertilizer occurs only after a long delay - after fertilization and during the entire period Growing season should therefore ensure that the soil is sufficiently moist, in case of doubt by moving the lawn to water.

Even with mineral lawn fertilizers, sufficient irrigation is extremely important after distribution. Only in this way can the salts that make up the mineral fertilizer dissolve and penetrate the soil, where they are absorbed by the plants. If the lawn is watered insufficiently or not at all after fertilization, highly concentrated ones are created Fertilizer solutions that can lead to excessive over-fertilization of the lawn - so strong that the grasses of the Is done away with. Apart from that, there is always the risk that children or animals will find the colorful mineral fertilizer globules all too interesting, which can be harmful to health.

How much should you water your lawn?

Between 10 and 20 liters of water per square meter should be distributed during irrigation in order to moisten the soil about 15 centimeters deep.
How extensively you should water your own lawn depends heavily on the type of soil on the property. Sandy soil, for example, is penetrated more quickly by water, so that as little as 10 to 15 liters of water can be enough to soak the soil. However, sandy soil cannot hold water well, so it dries out faster and therefore has to be blasted more often, about three times a week. Heavy clay and loam soils, on the other hand, need up to 20 liters of water to be moistened up to 15 centimeters deep. In return, they have a better water storage capacity - so it can be sufficient to water the lawn only once a week, even in hot dry phases.

Tip: If the lawn is watered with too little water, the water will only penetrate a few centimeters into the soil and the roots will not be completely moistened. In the worst case, this means that the lawn prefers to form roots just below the surface of the soil instead of deeper in the soil. This makes the lawn even more susceptible to drought. It is therefore advisable not to provide the lawn a little every day, but rather on a few days, but with plenty of water.

There are several methods of determining whether the amount of water used is correct when watering the lawn. It is safest to cut off a piece of lawn after blasting and use a ruler to measure the depth to which the water has penetrated the ground. If the zone reaches down to 15 centimeters, the amount of water was sufficient - otherwise it should be blasted again. After the measurement, the cut piece of grass can be put back in its place and pressed down. If this method is too radical for you, you can also adhere to the guidelines mentioned above. To check whether the watering amount is correct, you should either have a flow meter on Install a water connection or set up a rain gauge on the lawn to measure the amount of water read off.

Summary: How Much Should You Water the Lawn?

• Soil should be moistened to a depth of 15 cm
• It is better to use large amounts of water less frequently than to have little water on a regular basis
• Sandy soil: 10-15 liters per m² every 3 to 4 days
• Loamy soil: 15-20 liters per m² every 5 to 7 days
• Spat test shows whether the water has penetrated deep enough
• Flow meters or rain gauges help to dose the irrigation correctly.

Tip: Many sprinklers do not provide uniform irrigation - especially peripheral areas often receive much less water than areas near the sprinkler. To compensate for this, it is advisable to move the sprinkler regularly so that edge areas are also adequately supplied. Alternatively, you can manually re-water areas that are less well supplied by the sprinkler, for example with a garden hose.

Would you like your lawn to show itself in all its glory? You can find out what to look out for in our article "Lawn care all year round“.