When is the best time to water your lawn in Washington State?

When it comes to maximizing the water you use to keep a beautiful lawn in Bothell, Washington State, a number of factors come into play, including the type of grass you have, the microclimate you live in, the time of year, and how you mow the lawn. Drought conditions and municipal restrictions also play a factor in how often you are permitted to water your lawn, given that our area has seen years of, particularly dry winters. Our crew has put together the following tips to assist you to increase the effectiveness of your lawn watering in order to keep the most beautiful grass possible, regardless of your individual scenario.

Examine the Irrigation systems:

The first step in creating a watering plan is to switch on the lawn sprinklers and double-check that everything is operating correctly and that water is reaching all sections of the grass. Make any necessary repairs to pipelines or sprinkler heads. If your grass has recently been redone, you may need to clear some dirt or debris out of the sprinkler heads to maintain proper water flow. We recommend inspecting your sprinkler system at least once a year, preferably in the spring when new watering patterns are likely to be established.

Irrigation system for the grass to be upgraded.

Upgrade your technology is another option to explore. When it comes to irrigation time clocks and sprinkler heads that are specially engineered for efficiency, homeowners now have more alternatives. In fact, some modern irrigation systems will now change watering schedules dependent on weather. Whether you haven’t made any modifications to your irrigation system in a while, now is an excellent opportunity to look at new technologies and see if an update makes sense.

Determining the volume of sprinkler heads:

It’s a good idea to check the water output levels when you’re inspecting the sprinklers to make sure they’re working properly. The procedure is straightforward. Disperse numerous empty cans or coffee mugs throughout your grass. Sprinklers should be turned on for 20 minutes. To obtain an average for all containers, measure the water level in each one. The majority of sprinkler heads are sold based on water spread rather than flow. Calculating watering time is considerably easier when you know how much water your sprinkler heads put out.

Water Requirements Calculation

Most grasses require 1” to 12” of water each week as a general rule. Cooler season cultivars use somewhat more water in the summer and somewhat less in the winter. Warm-season grasses that go dormant throughout the winter require relatively little water. Another general guideline is that watering your lawn twice or three times a week for longer periods of time is preferable to watering it every day for shorter periods of time. This permits your turfgrass’ root systems to better absorb the water they receive without getting too saturated. Add one additional day to your weekly watering regimen during particularly hot weather.

Ensure that your estimates are accurate by performing a spot check.

You can tell if you’ve changed your watering schedules appropriately by watching the lawn grow for a few weeks after adjusting a watering schedule. Lawns that have been overwatered may seem limp, may develop pools of water several hours later, and may require more frequent mowing. Overwatering can cause root rot and yellowing of the turfgrass.

Similarly, the indicators of an underwatered lawn are rather obvious. If the grass seems brittle and dry 12 hours after watering, or the soil looks to have dried or split, you are probably not watering enough. You may see some yellow/brown spots, as well as the fact that the green grass does not bounce back immediately when trodden on.

When the watering schedule is altered, most lawns that have been over or underwater – even for a long period – may recover. Please contact us if you have any queries or concerns regarding the health of your lawn and would want some specific advice for your circumstance. We’re here to assist you!

Watering your grass in Bothell, Washington during the spring season:

Mother nature, as a general rule, does a wonderful job of watering your grass throughout the spring season. And, if you pay attention to what the weather is doing, you won’t need to water as much (if at all) in the spring. So any irrigation systems or other types of watering systems only act as a supplement if Mother Nature fails to provide enough rain or if there is a prolonged period of little or no rain.

The majority of your watering will be required during the summer months, when there is little to no rain and the weather is hotter, creating higher evaporation.

Guidelines for watering your lawn care throughout the summer:

For lawn care in Washington State, the weather may be rather harsh during the summer months. On certain days, we can have very high temperatures and high humidity, while on other days, we might have very low temperatures and low humidity. Due to these changes, lawns can get stressed, and the lack of water combined with high temperatures throughout the summer months may be quite exhausting for your grass.

That said, it’s ok to let your grass lay dormant over the summer; it’ll usually bounce back in the fall when the weather cools and the rain comes. The grass may not fully recover depending on the length of dormancy and any other unanticipated problems that occur during this period. So, throughout the summer, I propose increasing your water flow by 1/2 inch every week (for a total of 1.5 inches of water per week).

Additional watering should be done with a syringe shot to the grass in the middle of the day when it is the sunniest. Water during the hottest part of the day, generally between 1 and 2 p.m., for 10 minutes to chill down the grass. This is especially critical during heat waves or when temperatures exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Guidelines for watering your lawn in the fall:

Mother Nature appears to be on our side throughout the fall months or after Labor Day, with cold nights and the return of typical rain. So you may return to a Spring-style when mother nature takes care of the watering.

Even if it doesn’t rain, water has condensation in the form of morning dew in the very early morning hours, which the lawn also benefits from. Unless the weather indicates differently, you will be watering lightly throughout the Spring and Fall of a regular year. When I say sparingly, I mean once a week. Keep in mind that April showers bring May flowers, so keep an eye on those showers and cut back on the quantity of water you use on your grass.