The Basics to Watering Your Lawn

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WATERING YOUR LAWN FOR HOMEOWNERS

Water is a required resource needed by all living things, plants included.  Similar to humans needing to drink enough water, our lawns and gardens are no different.  

Most problems in a home lawn can often be brought back to one thing - The amount of water (or lack thereof) a lawn is receiving.  Plain and simple, most homeowners water their lawn too often, causing impacts from overwatering.  On the contrary, there are some homeowners who water too little, causing health issues from lack of water getting to the plant.  

What is the right amount to water your lawn

The answer to this question will likely be different for everyone. 

The correct amount you need to be watering your lawn will be dependent on a few things: 

  • Location and localized climate
  • Type of grass in your lawn
  • Environmental factors (i.e. - natural rainfall, wind, sun, etc.) 
  • Time of watering
  • Soil conditions
  • Irrigation equipment

I wish I could give a blanket answer and tell you that you need to water your lawn for 30-Minutes two-times per week and everyone will have a perfect lawn.  Unfortunately, it’s not that simple because everyone will have a different variety of conditions in their own yard to consider.  

In fact, there is enough information on this topic for me to create a Watering Guide for Beginners to help you step-by-step in identifying exactly how much you need to water your lawn for and for how long.  The goal of this guide is to provide you with the much needed direction enough to save you hundreds of dollars per season on your watering bill - A small price to invest for a long-term return on investment.  

Inside there are equations and exercises that I walk you through to pinpoint the exact answer you’re looking for, along with providing various recommendations on drought-tolerant grass types (also listed below and in my free guide What Grass is BEST for Me?), recommendations on water-saving equipment that I believe should be in every single home, and much more.  

Grass Blends That Require Up To 40% Less Water

Introducing you to the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA).  The TWCA is a 501c(3) non-profit committed to water conservation and dedicated to preserving the ecological benefits of turfgrass in the managed environment. 

The TWCA relies on the third-party peer review of objective data to qualify only those tursgrasses that demonstrate a statistically significant water saving potential over conventional varieties of the same species.  By testing with research collaborators across North America, the TWCA eliminates confounding factors such as soil type, heat, and pest management from the results.  

At the end of long and rigorous testing, the TWCA certified cultivars are qualified drought-tolerant turfgrasses that have demonstrated to use up to 40% less water.  

In order to receive a TWCA certification, a seed mixture must contain 70% TWCA qualified cultivars or greater in the bag that is certified.  

In short, where you see a TWCA Certification badge, you will be met with water-savings back home in your lawn.