Skip to Content

When To Turn On Sprinklers

Sharing is caring!

Everyone desires a lovely lawn, which necessitates some maintenance and effort. You must mow your lawn regularly, trim your hedges, weed, fertilize, and water your lawn.

The majority of this becomes routine, and you spend most of your time on it throughout the spring and summer, when the growth is at its peak.

You also use tools such as sprinklers to aid you in this process, but a question arises: When to turn on sprinklers in the lawn to ensure that the lawn is getting enough water? The answer lies in this article.

When To Turn On Sprinklers 1
Sprinklers – via Flickr

How Much Water Does My Lawn Even Need?

This is not a set-in-stone situation. While there are suggestions, there are many elements that may require you to modify those ‘ideals’ to meet your circumstances. For example, if you want to know how much water you should give your lawn, you need to look into the sort of grass you have because the answer isn’t the same for everyone.

You should also think about your local climate. For example, a humid, temperate climate may not necessitate as much water as a desert with frequent heatwaves. However, a good general rule of thumb is to water your lawn every week by an inch to 12 inches.

Is My Lawn Getting Enough Water?

Without measurement equipment, it’s difficult to estimate how much water your lawn receives. Install a rain gauge somewhere that will display the amount of rain that has fallen as well as the water that has come from your sprinkler system.

You won’t even need to water the lawn if you’re getting the required amount of water from the natural elements. However, if you fall short of an inch (or the recommended level for your climate), you’ll need to use your sprinkler system to make up the difference throughout the week.

It’s also worth noting that the amount of greenery and overall health of your lawn can help you figure out if you’re providing it with enough moisture. Using a 6-inch screwdriver to drill into the earth is another fantastic way to see if your yard has enough moisture. If it doesn’t glide in easily, the ground is too dry, and you should water it more.

How Long Do I Need To Water The Plants?

This, too, is climate-dependent, and it may also be influenced by the sort of grass you have, particularly if you’re growing specialty grasses or have recently installed turf. You’ll need to spend more time watering during the dry seasons, especially when it’s hot, and you’ll lose some of the water owing to evaporation.

Continue watering until the entire yard is soaked, which may take some time to figure out, especially if you have a new sprinkler system, have recently replanted new grass, or are new to the house.

As a general rule of thumb, 20-30 minutes is sufficient for most yards to achieve the desired effects. This isn’t always the case, though. You may need to water for a little longer during the drier, hotter months, whereas you might not need to water for nearly as long during the cooler months or when you’re getting a lot of rain.

Calculate what you’ll need based on the environment, weather, and other factors.

When To Turn On Sprinklers 2
Lawn Sprinkler – via Flickr

When To Turn On Sprinklers?

If your sprinkler system is saturating your grass, you should water it 2 to 3 times each week at the very least. This should provide the perfect quantity of moisture (reaching that 1-inch mark, or whatever is best for your lawn in your climate).

Daily watering does not provide the same healthy lawn. It causes your grass to develop shallow roots, which cause the turf to dry out more quickly and weaken. Your root system will be more drought-resistant if you water 2-3 times per week.

Of course, there are a number of circumstances that could affect your ability to do so. During droughts, for example, there are typically restrictions on how often or when you can operate your sprinklers, with some municipalities only permitting a half-hour once a week.

In such cases, soaker hoses might be used to augment. You’ll find that there are fewer limits on the usage of soaker hoses because they don’t lose as much water via evaporation as sprinklers do, and this can help to keep your lawn healthy.

Keep in mind that during the summer months, when the heat gets unbearable, you may need to water more and more frequently. Because your yard will be more stressed as a result of the heat and drought, it’s critical that you keep the water running as needed. To get the best results, start by not mowing as often.

In fact, increasing your mowing height will assist keep the heat and sun from getting to the source of the problem and scorching the grass too close to the roots. In addition, every day, give your lawn a little soaking (approximately 5 minutes) in the morning or even lunchtime to help cool it down and prevent it from burning too soon.

There are other ways to determine when you’ll need to water if you don’t want to create a plan since your area gets a lot of rain. If your grass is a dull green color, for example, you should water it.

In addition, look at your footprints as you walk over your grass. They should be able to recover fast, with the grass rising up in a matter of seconds. If it doesn’t happen, the blades aren’t holding enough moisture to have the spring that returns them, and you should turn on the sprinklers as soon as possible.


Conclusion

Watering your grass right can make or break its health. Consider that no two lawns are alike and that you shouldn’t always rely on basic guidelines, especially if you have specialized grass or happen to live in a very challenging location.

For best practices, you should constantly research the details of your area as well as the sort of grass you’re producing. This will help you gauge when to turn on sprinklers.

Best of luck!