Are You Over-Watering Your Lawn?

Maintaining a beautiful, green lawn needs a great deal of effort. You’ll need to ensure that the yard gets enough water to thrive, in addition to regular mowing and fertilizer application.

1. A soft feel

Regularly walking through your yard is an excellent way to keep track of its health. Make sure your lawn doesn’t feel too soft. The turf should be somewhat solid, so you shouldn’t notice a spongy, bouncing feeling. Reduce the amount of water you use to firm up your lawn when it starts to seem softer than it should.

2. Weeds going out of control

It’s normal for weeds to come up here and there in lawns, but widespread weed growth is an indication of a problem. If you keep the grass overly wet, some weeds that are accustomed to wet settings will take hold. Of course, cutting less on the water isn’t the only way to get rid of weeds, so be sure to pick them out as soon as possible to avoid undesired spread.

3. Lifeless blades

The grass blades prefer to stand straight up and are relatively hard when a lawn is in good shape. The grass blades you step on will immediately pop back up if you walk on them. That isn’t the case with a lawn that has been overwatered in the past few weeks. While the grass will remain green, the blades may become mushy and drop down or fall over rather than stand erect.

4. Watch the edges

Check the areas around the margins just after your water. If you overwater your grass, some runoff will occur in the surrounding areas. That means the lawn and soil beneath it can’t handle as much water as you’re giving it, so it goes somewhere else. Reduce the amount of water you use until the runoff stops.

5. Keep an eye on the weather