August 12, 2022, 9:55 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Many garden owners dream of a lush, green lawn. However, dry spells in the summer can thwart this dream. After all, a lawn needs sufficient water to become dense and green. An expert at myHOMEBOOK explains how to water your lawn properly with minimal effort, even during hot weather.
The water needs of lawn grasses depend on temperature and soil conditions. “Lawn grasses are composed of almost 90 percent water. When there’s a water shortage, their metabolism collapses and the grasses die,” explains Dr. Harald Nonn, chairman of the German Lawn Society e.V. (DRG) to myHOMEBOOK. Hobby gardeners can read the most important rules for watering lawns correctly in this article.
Overview
Watering Lawns Correctly – Tips from the Expert
Frequent, insufficient watering can cost you the lush green. Since the soil isn’t deeply moistened, the roots become shallow. The volume of soil penetrated by roots, and thus the water supply accessible to the grasses, decreases. The result: The lawn becomes more susceptible to drought and its watering needs increase.
If you water the lawn on a fixed schedule every one to two days, you create “constant drinkers,” as Harald Nonn says. “If I water a little every day, I pull the roots of the lawn upward. Then I have to water more often than with deeper roots.”
Additionally, shallow-rooting grasses, such as annual bluegrass or common bluegrass—both of which are low-quality lawn grasses—multiply. Therefore, lawn areas, especially on heavy, clay-rich soils, should be watered regularly. This also prevents soil cracks caused by dryness.
Related: Can You Save Dried-Out Lawns?
When Should You Water the Lawn?
Nonn advises watering only when the grasses start to droop. This can happen after three days or even after a week. However, you should avoid letting the soil dry out completely. “Then it seals off, and the water runs off unused,” explains Michael Henze from the Federal Association of Garden and Landscape Construction (BGL).
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How Much Should You Water?
How much water should you actually give? For ten centimeters of root depth, you need about 15 liters of water per square meter for sandy soils and 25 liters for clay soils to replenish the soil’s supply, explains Nonn. Then the plants develop deep roots that can absorb the water well.
Tips for Proper Lawn Watering
- Do not water the lawn in homeopathic doses. The motto here is: Go big, not small. During dry spells, the lawn should be thoroughly watered once or twice a week.
- Moisten the soil to root depth, preferably early in the morning and over the entire lawn area. This keeps the roots in deeper soil layers. If water is insufficient, they dry out and the root system becomes shallow.
- Another positive effect: Deep-reaching roots can absorb water from deeper soil layers. This reduces the required water amounts and watering frequency. Keep in mind that grasses under trees need water more often.
- In extreme heat and dryness, you can let the grass grow 1 to 2 cm longer. The leaves then shade each other more, reducing evaporation.
- Avoid mowing the lawn in extreme heat, as a lot of water escapes from the plant through the cut surface.
Tip: In extreme heat, cooling the lawn by briefly moistening it, similar to a quick dip in water for us humans, can be beneficial. The grasses cool down a bit and don’t suffer heat death. According to lawn experts, you don’t have to worry about “burns” from water droplets on the fine grass blades.
Also interesting: The Best Tips Against Clover in the Lawn
Why Fertilizer Is Important During Dry Periods
Another tip from the lawn expert: “Fertilizing with a lot of potassium before summer begins makes the grasses use water more sparingly. Potassium reduces the water evaporation of the leaves and simultaneously increases heat tolerance.”
Nutrient supply is crucial for how well the lawn withstands dry and hot periods. “A depot fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, as well as liming the lawn, is recommended,” explains Michael Henze from the BGL.
Fertilizing is done in April, June, and August. “Potassium is particularly important because it ensures that the plants use water more sparingly,” adds Nonn. “Potassium-rich lawn fertilizers are actually recommended for fall but are also useful in early summer, especially on sandy soils.”
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Should You Continue Watering Brown Spots?
Brown spots don’t necessarily mean the lawn is dead there. “Some grasses regenerate when they get enough water again,” explains Schulte-Bunert, president of the Greenkeeper Association Germany in Wiesbaden. To find out if the lawn is still alive, you should remove a piece. If the root is white, there is a good chance it will come back. However, if the root is brown, it’s too late.