Maintaining a green lawn requires a significant investment of time and effort. Among the many factors that affect the health of your lawn, watering is one of the most critical. However, there is a fine line between watering your grass adequately and over-watering it, especially during hot summer days. So, what temperatures are too hot to water grass? The answer to this question depends on several factors, including the type of soil, watering frequency, and sun exposure.
In summer, the ideal temperature for watering grass is between 60°F and 80°F. However, when temperatures rise above 85°F, it is usually too hot to water grass during the day. High temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity can cause water to evaporate too quickly, leaving your lawn with insufficient moisture. This can cause brown spots, weakened root systems, and even fungal growth.
To avoid these issues, it is best to water your lawn either early in the morning or late in the evening when temperatures are cooler, and the sun is not as intense. It is essential to water lawns deeply but infrequently, allowing the water to penetrate the soil and reach the shallow root system of the grass roots.
This encourages the development of a deep root system, which helps the grass to better withstand hot, dry conditions. In our guide, you can learn more about the best times and temperatures for watering your lawn. By the end, you’ll better understand water conservation, while delivering the right amount of water to your lawn and at the right time to avoid harm and wastage in high temperatures. (Read Do Cucumbers Need Full Sun)
Water Your Lawn, but Don’t Overdo It
Before we dive into the temperature discussion, it’s essential to understand how much water your grass needs. The general rule is your lawn needs about one inch of water per week from rainfall or your irrigation system.
However, the exact amount can vary depending on factors like soil type, grass species, and weather. In addition, it’s important not to overwater your yard or lawn. Watering too little water frequently or giving the grass too much water can lead to shallow root systems, fungal growth, and wastewater.
However, under-watering the root system can cause dry, brown patches and a weak lawn.
When is Hot Weather Too Hot To Water Grass?
Now, let’s address the fundamental question: when is hot weather too hot to water grass? The answer depends on humidity, wind speed, and the grass species. However, it’s best to avoid watering your lawn during the hottest parts of the day when the sun is high in the sky. This is how hot is too hot to water grass, because the water droplets can act like tiny magnifying glasses, concentrating the sun’s rays and burning the grass blades.
So, the ideal time is early morning, just as the sun rises. This allows the grass blades to dry before the heat of the day sets in, reducing the risk of fungal growth and other diseases.
You can also water your lawns in the late afternoon or early evening but give the grass enough time to dry before nightfall to prevent attracting pests.
Other Factors to Consider
Aside from the time of day, there are other factors to consider when watering your lawn during hot weather. For your watering frequency for example, the frequency and duration of your watering sessions can impact the health of your grass.
As we mentioned earlier in parts of this related article, it’s important not to over-water your lawn, as this can lead to shallow root systems and wastewater. However, during periods of extreme summer heat, you must water your lawn more frequently to keep it healthy.
One way to determine if the ground needs more water is to look for signs of moisture stress in green grass. If your grass blades are curling or turn a dull grayish-green color, this is a sign your lawn needs more water. In addition, you can perform the “footprint test” to check if your lawns needs a few more inches of water. Step on the grass, and if the blades do not bounce back quickly, your lawn needs more water. (Read Best Time To Fertilize Lawn Before Or After Rain)
The Importance of Soil Type
Another factor affecting the health of clay soil or sandy soil on your lawn during hot weather is the soil type. Sandy soils run off fast, while clay soils keep water for longer. This means that sandy soils require more frequent watering during hot weather, while clay soils may need less frequent watering. To determine your soil type, you can perform a simple soil test using a soil test kit or by sending a sample to a lab. Once you know your soil type, you can adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
Best Time to Water Your Lawn
Now that we’ve covered what temperature is too hot is it bad to water grass during the day, let’s talk about when does watering grass in the sun burn it best time to water your lawn. The ideal time to water your lawn is early in the morning, between 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
Watering at these times ensures the grass has enough moisture to get through the day, but not so much it will promote fungal growth or attract pests. Watering in the early morning allows the grass blades to dry before evening, reducing the risk of disease. If you can’t water in the morning, the next best time to water your grass is in the early evening, between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM.
Watering during this time ensures that the grass has enough moisture to get through the night, but the morning watering also allows the grass blades to dry before the temperature drops. Avoid watering your lawn at night, as this can lead to disease and fungal growth because of extended periods of moisture.
How Much Water Does Your Lawn Need?
Now you know when to water in extreme heat, the next question is how much water per week your lawn needs. The recommendation is to give your lawn about 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. This is enough water to penetrate the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 more inches of water throughout the ground, where the grass roots are located.
However, the amount of water your lawn needs can vary depending on several factors you water lawn, including the type of grass you have, can you water grass in the sun, soil type, irrigation system and the climate in your area.
For example, cool-season grasses like fescue and bluegrass require more water than warm-season grasses like Bermuda grass or St. Augustine grass. To determine how much water your sprinkler or irrigation system your lawn needs, you can perform a simple test.
Place several empty tuna cans or other shallow containers around your lawn and run your sprinklers for 30 minutes. Measure the amount of water in each can and average the measurements to determine how much water your sprinklers are applying. If the total amount of water is less than 1 inch, you’ll must water your sprinkler system or lawn more often or for a longer period. (Read Spark Plug For Husqvarna Lawn Mower)
Watering Tips for a Healthy Lawn
Here are some additional tips to help you water your lawn effectively and keep it healthy:
- Give your lawn some good soaking once or twice a week instead of just sprinkling it every day. This encourages the grass roots to grow deep into the soil, which makes them more drought-resistant.
- Avoid watering on windy days: Strong winds can blow the water off course, causing your lawn to receive less water than it needs. Wait for a day with less wind to water your lawn.
- Adjust your sprinkler heads: ensure your sprinkler heads are adjusted properly so that they’re not watering the sidewalk or driveway. This wastes water and can lead to runoff.
- Don’t overwater: Overwatering your lawn can lead to shallow root systems, which makes the grass more susceptible to drought and disease. Ensure you’re giving your lawn enough water, but not too much.
- Use a rain gauge: A rain gauge can help you determine how much rain your lawn is receiving, so you know when to water and when to skip a watering session all summer long.
Best Time to Water Grass During Hot Weather
When summer temps climb to 95 or above, the sun’s heat evaporates water from your grass faster than normal. On a hot summer afternoon, it’s pointless to water the grass if the water evaporates before it gets to the roots. To stop this from happening, it’s best to water the yard during one of two cooler times of the day.
Early Morning Watering
In the full summer heat, just as the sun comes up, it is the best time to water your yard. If that’s too early for you, the best thing to do this week is water before 9 a.m. Mornings are cooler and the wind is quiet, so grass roots have more time to soak up water before it evaporates or gets blown away.
Early Evening Watering
If you can’t water in the morning, try to water between 4 and 6 in the evening. This plan gives your grass time to dry before it the weather gets dark, so it doesn’t stay wet all night. Even though it does watering grass in the sun burn it’s cooler at night, a lawn that gets wet and doesn’t dry out can attract pests and grow diseases or fungi. Let’s say you can’t water at either of these times. In that case, you might save the same amount of water and time by installing an automatic sprinkler system or having a local yard care service do it.
How Often You Should Water Your Lawn When It’s Hot
If it’s extremely hot out where you live, water your plants deeply every other day. Your watering schedule may change based on how much rain your area gets and how hot it gets in the summer. (Learn Why Does My Lawn Mower Only Run For A Few Seconds Then Dies)
Conclusion
Watering your lawn is essential to lawn care during , drought, summer heat and hot weather, but it’s important to do it properly to avoid damaging your green grass. Now, you know the lawn care you need in hot weather, and how you must hold off when temperatures reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit as it is too hot to water grass, and water will evaporate quickly.
