Is My Lawn Being Over-Watered

Another major problem with watering lawns and which is often overlooked by many people is if lawns are being watered too much, or too frequently. The problem of over-watering lawns can cause major damage which may be different to lawns drying out from lack of water, but are equally devastating to the turf.

When lawns receive too much water the major ill-effects are that the lawn can become highly susceptible to disease, areas not receiving enough direct sunlight may create rot in the thatch layer, a soggy top soil can cause greater damage to occur under normal wear and tear, shaded areas of turf may die off, the lawn's roots will become very shallow and subject to quick deterioration under a small amount of heat stress, and if combined with too much fertilizer, the growth rates may explode which requires more lawn mowing and de-thatching to be done more frequently. So it's important not to over-water our lawns.

Determining whether a lawn is receiving too much water isn't too difficult to assess. The results are often seen with thick thatch growth, fast growing green leaf which requires very frequent mowing, and the lawn can remain soggy for long periods of time. Many of the problems already mentioned in the previous paragraph will also become apparent.

There are also lawn watering rules which should never be broken, such as quick watering or daily watering, these should never be implemented on established lawns, this creates a shallow root system which results in quick damage from heat stress, wastes an enormous amount of water and also aids in the promotion of weed and disease infestations.

If it is found that a lawn is being over-watered and an adjustment to a watering routine needs to be implemented, it is important to do this properly in order to avoid any sudden stress to the turf. To adjust from daily watering, begin by watering every second day and increasing the amount of water the lawn is receiving, this will avoid any shock from a d sudden ecrease in water supply. Over the next few weeks we can keep the amount of water the same but begin watering every third day for another few weeks. At this stage it is important to understand the needs of your lawn, the soil type and weather. Every 3 days may be a perfect watering frequency for you, if this is the case, continue with this frequency and begin decreasing the amount of water being applied. If you lawn can go for a longer period between waterings then go to the fourth day between watering and then decrease the amount of water being applied until the desired frequency and watering amount is achieved.

It is most important for the homeowner to understand the needs of their individual lawns in order to achieve the best final watering regime.

The key point we are making here is that any adjustment in decreasing water supply must be done gradually in order to avoid any stress to the lawn. We have many articles on our website which will help guide the homeowner to an excellent system of watering, and we recommend reading these to help create the most robust and beautiful lawn we are all seeking.