RD's Turf Tips

Now onto the winner of morning watering. Ideally 5am-9am timeframe is best. You may have some dew on the grass which you can push down and use into the soil to be effective with your watering. The temperatures are cooler at this time to minimize evaporation. Then any water that doesn’t get absorbed and make its way into the soil will evaporate in the afternoon when the sun comes out, so you have no risk of anything sitting and fugus building up. So, for that our preferred time for watering the lawn is the morning. 

Watering is great to do during a drought but another great way to build resilience in your grass during heat stress is to encourage deep roots of your grass. One keyway to do that is perform an annual aeration and overseeding. This opens your thatch layer and encourages your grass to develop deep roots which is key for surviving a hot and dry summer. The first areas that burn out are typically areas with shallow root systems. For more information about Aeration follow this link. Aeration and Overseeding Information