Watering your grass is a crucial element of summer lawn care, but it’s tough to know exactly how to do that. Much of it depends on where you live and how hot it gets there, but there are some guidelines that you can follow. If you’ve asked yourself, “How often should I water my grass,” keep reading for some helpful tips.

How Much Water Does Your Lawn Need?
As a rule, your grass should be receiving between one and one and a half inches of water per week, either from rainfall or from irrigation. This is a fairly general rule, but it should give you an idea of how much water you really need. This usually translates into watering your lawn two to three times a week for 30 minutes at a time, although you may need to water more during a particularly hot and dry summer. If you get a lot of rain, you obviously won’t need to water your lawn as often.

It’s also best to water your lawn as early in the morning as possible so your grass has a chance to dry out before nightfall. Having a wet lawn at night can lead to problems such as disease and fungal growth. If you find that you cannot water your lawn early in the morning, it’s okay to go out in the afternoon and water whenever you can. Watering later in the day is still better than not watering your grass at all.

How Do You Know Your Grass Has Had Enough?
It’s tough to really gauge how much water your lawn has received, but there are a few ways to check. The easiest is to take a 6-inch screwdriver and try to stick into the ground. If you’re having trouble doing this, your lawn doesn’t have enough water.

You should also be careful about watering your grass too much. Watering dry grass early in the morning for 30 minutes shouldn’t cause too much trouble, but if you notice that water is draining into the street in front of your house, you’re watering way too much and should scale your efforts back.

Use Your Best Judgment
Keep in mind that these are mostly just guidelines. Different types of grass and soil will have different needs when it comes to water, so saying “I have to water my grass” may mean something a bit different to you than it would to someone else. Use your best judgment. As long as you keep watering and you have a healthy green lawn, you’re on the right track.