Last Updated on October 9, 2022 by Brian Beck
There is a right way and a wrong way to water a lawn. There is a lot of confusion about proper watering and what it is actually intended for. The purpose is simple, water is a carrying mechanism for the flow of nutrients into the cells of the plant. It regulates plant temperature and it enables photosynthesis. If the water does not get to the roots it will hinder these things from happening. I really wish the mindset of watering shallowly would stop. It is the best way to ruin a lawn and set it up for failure. It causes so many issues like heat stress (from the shallow roots), thick thatch (guess what the roots grow where the water is), dog urine spots (this is a combo problem of a lack of biology and the roots being to close to the surface and then suffering the effects of the urine which is a concentrated dose of Nitrogen in the form of ammonia, oh yeah males are just as guilty as females, females just squat rather than spray their urine), and aschochyta, a lawn fungus also called leaf blight is ALWAYS the result of shallow watering as the plant is unable to stay healthy from a lack of water and contracts a pathogen in lesions caused back malnutrition. Cool season lawns like to watered heavily and then left alone for several days. They need to breathe and get oxygen too, a major catalyst of macro and micro nutrients. We are engineering our customers soils through the increase of carbon to hold more water and thereby needing less water as the soil can hold more for longer. One thing is for sure, shallow watering will cost you more in the long run. If you really want the water to be effective please water so that the water goes 6-8″ into the soil and you will be impressed. Our customers are always surprised when we tell them this and their lawn always seems to improve. One thing is clear if you want a successful lawn water deep! If you want it replaced water shallow.