Watering your lawn

The best way to save water is to let your grass go dormant and brown in the summer. Watering our lawns to keep them green during the drier season uses a lot of water, and water that has been treated for human consumption. It doesn't hurt your lawn to allow the grass to go dormant, and once the rainier weather arrives in the fall it will green up again. If you choose to let your lawn go dormant, stick to it. Don't let it go brown and then water it for a bit, and then let it go brown again. This stresses your grass.

If you decide you want to keep your lawn green over the summer months, you want to be sure you are using no more water than necessary. We have provided some information here to help with that.

How much water does my lawn need?

Your lawn doesn't need as much water as you might think. How much it needs depends on the time of year, the type of soil, and the type of grass you have. A general rule of thumb for a lawn to stay healthy is about one inch of water a week, including rainfall.

You can use this as a place to start and adjust it if it seems your lawn needs more or less water. Grass roots need moisture, air and nutrients to be healthy. Many of us overwater our lawns. If you are overwatering, the grass roots are not able to access enough air and grow deep enough, making your lawn more susceptible to disease.

How do I tell if my lawn is getting enough water?

The roots of a healthy lawn are 6 to 8 inches deep.
You can check your lawn's root system in a few different ways, including using a soil probe or electronic sensors.

A simple test requiring no special tools is to take a screwdriver or a stiff piece of wire and push it into your lawn in several places. If you aren't able to push it in, you may need to be watering more. If you can push it in to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, your soil is receiving at least enough water.

Another simple test is to walk on your lawn. If the grass springs back from your footsteps, it is getting enough water. If the indent of your footprints remain then it may not be. Now the trick is to determine if you are watering it more than you need to be.

How do I measure how much water my lawn is getting?

Your lawn gets water from rainfall and from you sprinkling it. You need to pay attention to both sources of water to really know how much water it is getting.
To measure how much water your sprinkler is giving your lawn, set out several equal-sized cans in the area that your sprinkler covers. Let your sprinkler run for 15 minutes and then look at how much water is in the cans. If there is a quarter inch of water, then your sprinkler is distributing 1 inch of water per hour. This might be the perfect weekly amount for your lawn if there has been no rain.
If there is more water than that, then adjust your sprinkler's duration so your lawn receives the right amount.

To measure rainfall, you can set up a can or a rain gauge. Set it out in a protected, shaded area and check it after a rainfall to see how much water it contains. Or use Waterly's information to help you out. Waterly accesses this kind of information from a weather station close to your home to tell you how much rainfall your property has had in the past week.

When is the best time of day to water my lawn?

Watering during the early morning hours is the best. This minimizes water lost to evaporation. Watering during the heat of the day - after 10 am - means wasting water. Watering in the evening doesn't work as well for your lawn as it is more susceptible to disease if it sits wet overnight.

How often should I be watering?

Fewer waterings for a longer timeframe each is better for your lawn than more frequent, shorter waterings. Giving your lawn a longer soaking and then allowing it to dry out before the next watering encourages it to grow the healthy root system you want it to have. Using the example above, once a week for 15 minutes might be enough.

What else can I do to use only as much water as necessary?

There are other things you can do.

• pay attention to whether it has rained. Use the reminder email from waterly to help you remember to turn off your sprinklers if it has rained recently, so you are not wasting water.
• make sure your sprinkler is directed so that it is only watering your lawn and gardens, not gravel, your sidewalk, deck or driveway. If you have automatic sprinklers, check them periodically to make sure they are still watering just your lawn.
• mow your lawn to no less than 2.5 to 3 inches in height. At this height, your grass is better able to shade its roots and the surface of the soil, and it loses less moisture to evaporation.
• set up your sprinkler to turn itself off automatically after a set period of time, or set a timer for yourself as a reminder to do so.
• use a nozzle for your hose that automatically shuts off when you aren't holding it.
• repair leaky hoses, nozzles or fittings as soon as you notice they are leaking.

Where can I find more information to help me use water responsibly?

There are other resources on the internet about watering your lawn. Some other good links are:
Easy Actions to Do from the BC Ministry of Environment Living Water Smart Page.
Calculate your water footprint from the Go Blue site.
Victoria Capital Regional District Outdoor Water Saving Tips.
Vancouver Lawn Watering Information.