Irrigation for Lawns: Tips and Tricks

Keep Your Grass Green All Summer

Irrigation for lawns is the #1 reason homeowners install a sprinkler system. Until the arrival of a hot, dry summer, it can be hard to tell if your irrigation system is doing a great job… or not. These tips will help you prevent or fix brown spots and keep your grass green.

With Turf, Consistent Coverage is Key

Sprinkler head placement is particularly important in irrigation for lawns. Turf consists of many small plants with small roots. These roots don’t spread out. Which means, the sprinkler system needs to water the entire lawn evenly.

It’s better to have too many sprinkler heads than too few, or you risk getting dry, brown spots in the lawn.

With Irrigation, Time of Day Matters

The best time to water your turf is in the early morning, around dawn. The grass will have a chance to dry off before the heat of the day scorches it. Watering at sun down allows for water to sit on the surface of the turf overnight, which promotes diseases.

How Much Water for Lawn Irrigation

The goal is to put down about an inch of water per week on your lawn, in two to three sessions. Avoid watering every day, as this encourages shallow root depth. For healthy, deep roots, two or three, long watering sessions per week is ideal.

Overwatering can be a problem. If muddy spots develop in your lawn, the turf can be damaged by lawn mowers, kids or pets.

What to Do if Your Lawn Has Brown Spots

At TriState Water Works, we often help homeowners get their lawn back to beautiful, lush green. Stressed lawns can suffer from brown spots or even be brown overall. We assess what’s causing the problem and may recommend:

Adding sprinkler heads to your existing irrigation system to get better coverage
Adjusting for high or low water pressure
Changing your sprinkler system program frequency, watering duration or time of day
Installing a smart watering controller that predicts weather