For many people who are lucky to have a lawn, they might be wondering the best time of day to water the lawn.
For a question which sounds so easy, many variables can take this easy task and ruin a beautiful piece of turf.
One of the most significant impacting factors is the time of year, and with hot weather upon us, this is even more crucial to get right.
When to Water the Lawn
When grass begins to look dull, it is telling you it needs water. Another way of telling is to walk on it, and if your footprints remain for a long while, this is another sign your lawn is thirsty.
If you find yourself thinking how long should I water my grass for and think the time is irrelevant, you’ll have a shock.
Here are general times and note why they are essential.
| Time | Notes |
|---|---|
| 10 a.m. in the morning | The ideal time, it is cooler, and winds are generally lower so water can soak into the soil |
| 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. | The second option so your grass has the chance to dry before nightfall |
| Lunchtime to mid-afternoon. | Never water at this time. The water will evaporate too quickly, and if it’s hot, you can scorch your grass. |
As you can see from the above lawn watering schedule the morning is the best time as the water can seep into the soil and reach the roots before it gets too warm.
After 6 p.m. it can leave your earth wet, and disease can set in if it’s too cold and your grass is still wet.
If this happens, water can’t evaporate, and it sits in the soil, and this you’ll find isn’t much good for the roots.
How Much Water to Use
A lawn should ideally receive 1 inch of water per week, and this should soak the top 6-8 inches of soil.
You might be wondering how to gauge this as there are different water pressure and flow rates, and there are also differences in sprinklers which are advised to be used.
You might be a gardener who doesn’t use a sprinkler and has a very different watering method and need to know.
How long to run a soaker hose.
| Time | Soaker Hose Water Quantity |
|---|---|
| 50 minutes | 1/4 inch of water |
| 100 minutes | 1/2 an inch of water |
| 150 minutes | 3/4 inch of water |
| 200 minutes | 1 inch of water |
As you can see, they offer a steadier stream of water, although they aren’t as erratic.
Most lawns depending on where you live need two inches of water per week. As you can see from the table above this 2 inches equals 200 minutes. However, this can be split into 2 sessions.
Sprinklers
With a garden sprinkler system in place sprinklers, there is a lot more water being dished out it is wise to be 
cautious.
And as you can see from the table above it takes around 200 minutes. When you are asked how long should I leave the sprinkler on, you can now answer with all honesty.
A garden sprinkler system can be handy, especially if you aren’t at home, but they have a tendency to be soaking your lawn too much, and this isn’t a good position to be in.
Here are the recommended sprinkler run times,
| Month | Grass Watering Times |
|---|---|
| Jan | 2 days, 2 cycles of 2 minutes |
| Feb | 2 days, 2 cycles of 2 minutes |
| March | 3 days, 2 cycles of 3 minutes |
| April | 3 days, 2 cycles of 4 minutes |
| May | 3 days, 3 cycles of 3 minutes |
| June | 3 days, 2 cycles of 5 minutes |
| July | 4 days, 3 cycles of 3 minutes |
| August | 4 days, 3 cycles of 3 minutes |
| September | 4 days, 2 cycles of 3 minutes |
| October | 3 days, 2 cycles of 3 minutes |
| November. | 2 days, 2 cycles of 3 minutes |
| December | 2 days, 2 cycles of 2 minutes |
The recommended sprinkler run times are listed before this table and should be used in conjunction with the time of the year.
Now you should have a very good idea of “how long should I water the lawn.” The only variant remaining is the state you live.
To make sure you do it right you can split the two inches per week the lawn needs over two separate days or all at once, and to make sure it looks it’s very best, you can add some grass fertilizer once there are no weeds about and remember you need to mow your lawn with the right equipment too.
