Watering Your Lawn in Spring
The springtime sun brings everything back to life, and that includes your lawn!
Your lawn care needs to reflect the changing needs of your turf throughout the seasons and, if you’re not watering your lawn correctly, it can cause your turf to dry out or become waterlogged.
Why Do I Need to Water Differently in Spring?
As winter passes and makes way for sunny spring, this can affect how much moisture your turf can retain and how much it needs.
As the temperatures begin to rise in spring, your turf will be transitioning out of its winter dormancy phase and will begin to grow again. Therefore, it will need more water to encourage the root systems to grow deeply into the soil and thrive.
- To prevent your turf from drying out in early spring, you should look to begin watering your turf again in March / April, when the temperature is consistently reaching around 10°C.
- Of course, you should always keep an eye on your grass and tailor your care to what it needs. If there's been significant rainfall, you will not need to water the lawn as frequently.
If you're wondering why you need to water your lawn again in spring, then look below- an underwatered lawn can have serious effects on not only the aesthetic appeal of your lawn, but on its health too.
When Do I Water?
Watering your garden depends on your local climate and weather, so you should try and base your watering schedule on the immediate needs of your grass for the best results.
Grass is a natural living plant, so it’s always best to assess what it needs to allow it to thrive.
- If your grass looks quite dry and you experience warmer climates in early spring, this will be a sign to begin watering again.
- If your turf appears yellowy-brown, dry and it’s curling up at the edges, this is a sign that it’s in need of some moisture.
- The most important area of the grass is the soil- you should always check here first for signs of de-hydration.
- Dry, crumbly soil means that your roots are getting no water, leaving the plant dehydrated.
In Spring, the best time of day to water your lawn is in the morning, or at night before the sun is directly overhead. This allows the lawn to soak up the moisture without the sun evaporating it from the grass, especially in warmer temperatures.
How Much Do I Water?
If, as usual with British weather, you get April showers rather than the springtime sun you were expecting, then you should adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
You likely won’t need to water as much as the heavy rainfall will take care of that for you.
It is very difficult to overwater a lawn, however, if you’re flooding the garden and getting boggy areas where water pools, this may be a sign to wait until the area dries up before watering again.
In warmer temperatures, you should water the grass until it is fully soaked and re-water if the grass looks dry or patchy.
You may need to water a few times a day to ensure the ground is soaking up the water. It is always advised to water deeply and infrequently, rather than shallow and often. This encourages the turf roots to grow deeper into the ground for better turf stability and health.
Water needs to get to where it’s needed, at the tip of the roots and not the leaves. Wet or humid foliage will encourage fungal problems and evaporation from the surface.
Soil type can also affect the volume of water needed for a healthy plant, as sandy / loamy soils can drain quickly, meaning you may need to water more to keep the lawn moist.
Dense, clay-like soil will retain moisture for longer, so it’s good to keep an eye on the soil moisture levels to make sure your lawn is getting the right amount of water.
It’s always best to hand-water in April, so that you can closely monitor the moisture levels in the soil.
If you have a sprinkler, they can be useful for summer watering where the grass needs to stay consistently moist but, in spring, it may contribute to overwatering or not water deeply enough to reach the roots.
