what time of day is best for watering your lawn

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What time of day is the best time to water your lawn?  As landscapers in the Nashville area, we get asked that a lot.

Some feel that if you water in the hot sunny afternoon, you’ll get sun scald on the grass blades. Others say that moisture left on a lawn overnight from a late afternoon or evening watering promotes disease.  In both cases, these statements are wrong and need some explanation.

 

 

First of all, there are actually several disadvantages to afternoon watering.  At that time, evaporation caused by the wind and sun is at a maximum.  Wind can disrupt sprinkler patterns, causing poor coverage.  This is especially true with high impact sprinklers.  Also, less of the water applied is actually made available to the lawn.  Local water consumption is usually highest in the afternoon, which can cause low water pressure.

Whether or not afternoon or evening watering promotes disease is still debated in the landscaping industry, but it shouldn’t make a huge difference in your watering program. The fact is, dew makes most lawns wet at night naturally.  Proper fertilizing, regular de-thatching, and mowing at recommended heights will do more to prevent disease than watering at the “wrong” time of day.  If you feel that a wet lawn at night is increasing disease problems, then water early in the morning rather than evening.  This will save water and your grass won’t be wet at night.

So what time of day is best to water your lawn? Early morning watering is really the best time to water unless you have a new lawn.  Those rules are different.

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