During the dog days of summer, watering is an essential part of maintaining a healthy, green lawn, but you must do it properly. Lawn care professionals in Overland Park often see a tendency of people overwatering their yard during the summer as they think it will help it grow. However, too much water can actually hurt it instead. So, before you turn on your sprinkler, make sure you’re following these tips for watering your lawn during the summer.  

When to Water Grass 

Lawn care professionals in Overland Park say the optimal time for watering is in the early morning. If you turn on your sprinkler during a hot summer afternoon, the water will evaporate quickly and not allow the soil to absorb it. On the opposite, watering overnight increases the risk of lawn disease. However, by watering in the morning, the weather will be cool enough for the water to soak into the soil and receive the nutrients it needs.  

How Much Water 

If over-watering is damaging and too little water doesn’t allow the roots to grow enough, then how much water is sufficient? For lawn maintenance in Overland Park, professionals recommend ensuring your lawn receives 1 and 1.5 inches of water weekly. For deep roots and protection against drought, water 1/3 inch every two days. The soil should be soaked roughly 6-8 inches deep.  

Measuring Water 

Obviously, it would be a little challenging to know whether you’ve watered your lawn enough by just eyeballing it. To figure out how long you’ll need to keep your irrigation system on for, the best lawn care company in Overland Park suggests sticking a shovel or another object into the soil to see how deep the water is. Do this every few minutes during the first watering. Once the ground is soaked between 6 and 8 inches, check how many minutes it took to get it there.  

You can also measure the water by placing empty food cans around your lawn and timing how long it takes to collect up to an inch of water. 

Watering Schedule 

Now that you know how much water your lawn should receive weekly, you will need to figure out an irrigation system schedule. For best results, many lawn care professionals in Overland Park agree that watering 1/3 of an inch every two days or so will help create and maintain deep roots. You can also choose to water once a week until you hit 1 to 1.5 inches of water. 

Here at Encore Turf + Property Enhancements, we specialize in everything from lawn applications to leaf removal in Overland Park and offer specialty lawn fertilizer services in Overland Park as well. For more information about watering your lawn during the summer, please contact us!