subject: Watering Your Lawn - How Much Is Enough? [print this page] It's hard to know if the lawn is getting enough water as well as other necessary nutrients. Sure, one can look to see if the grass is green, but is that the only issue? The answer is no, and the reason is simple. Grass can survive with the bare essentials, however it will not thrive like those neighbors that have the thick carpet grass that stays green when no one else's will. Those perfect and manicured lawns are that way because their owners truly understand watering, soil, nutrients and the other essentials.
Water Determinations
The amount of water needed depends on a few things like the type of grass, soil and temperature. While every grass is different a good rule of thumb is approximately 1 inch of water per week. Now that one inch can be spread out over a couple of watering sessions, which allows a slower penetration of their roots. Water is not wasted and runoff is minimized with slower watering sessions. Watering once per week at a slow rate allow the water to soak into the ground and is much better for the root system than sprinkling it a couple times per week.
Too Much - Not Enough
How much is enough, and how much is too much? There is a couple of ways to determine if the grass is getting enough water, and in the right places. There are electronic sensors to show the amount of moisture in the soil; however for those looking for a less expensive method there is a simple Probe test that also works well. Simply take a screwdriver and stick it down into the soil, if it goes in easily at least 6 and 8 inches deep one can safely assume that the ground is moist enough.
