Watering your lawn in the warmer months
What is the best method to water my lawn?
Use an irrigation system or sprinklers on a timer for all lawn types, as this encourages a more even spread of water across the area.
Hand watering with a hose doesn’t tend to distribute water evenly enough
How often should I water an established warm-season lawn?
- An established warm-season lawn requires minimal watering
- Most established lawns survive on natural rainfall alone
- October to March you will likely need to water once a fortnight to keep it healthy and green.
- Less frequent deep soaking encourages the lawn’s root system to grow deep into the ground, further strengthening its drought tolerance.
How do you know you have watered enough?
- Set your sprinkler or irrigation system to run for about 20–30 minutes in the early morning or after dusk.
- After you have watered, simply stick your finger into the lawn and see whether it feels wet below the surface.
- If it does, you know it has received enough water.
What are the signs that my lawn needs watering?
Your lawn needs watering if...
- the colour of the lawn gets lighter
- you leave footprints when you walk across the lawn (the ‘footprint test’ – a healthy lawn will generally bounce straight back)
- it dries out and feels crunchy underfoot (this generally only happens in the warmer months).
How can Wetting Agent help with water consumption
- Hydrophobic soils repel water and the water runs off the surface or simply pools and doesn’t absorb.
- It is a common problem, especially in sandy soils, but can affect many soil types that have not received regular water or are compacted.
- Wetting agents are like a detergent or surfactant that reduces the surface tension of the water helping it to soak in.
Applying a wetting agent at the beginning of the summer season is a good addition to any lawn maintenance program.
If you have any questions about hydrophobic soil or wetting agents, or any other lawn questions, please contact our friendly staff on (03) 9730 1128 or email contact@lilydaleinstantlawn.com.au.