Introduction
Workshopedia has plenty of articles about mowing and maintaining grass, but we are yet to tackle when to stop watering your lawn in Fall. Lawn science is tricky and precise sometimes. You have to do certain things at specific times of year to maintain healthy grass. Knowing when to stop watering each year, and why, is especially important.
In this article, I take you through when to stop watering your lawn in Fall, and then why. I also touch on some different ways to maintain your lawn, including irrigation systems and sprinklers.
When Should You Stop Watering Your Lawn?
Maintaining your lawn is part of essential preparations for Fall and Winter. We have written before about how to prepare your lawn for Summer. However, we’ve not yet told you about getting ready for the colder months beyond general Fall garden preparation.
Knowing when you should stop watering your lawn is a really important part of this preparation. Put simply, you have to stop watering in the Fall when the ground completely freezes. Before this point, you can still get moisture into the soil as it is porous. Once frozen, the ground will not absorb the water you put on it. This would make any watering pointless, and thus a waste of time and water.
So, the answer to the question of when to stop watering your lawn is really quite simple then. However, there is more to why you shouldn’t water it year-round than simply being ineffective. I’ll explain this next.
Why Should You Stop Watering Your Lawn?
There are some good reasons why you should stop watering your lawn when the ground freezes in the Fall. First, there are different types of grass that you have to consider. Work out what type of grass you have to look after it most effectively. Most turf grasses are known as cool season grasses.
Cool season grasses grow in Fall. They need good vernalization – or exposure to cold temperatures – to grow well. The temperature drop in Fall and Winter is usually sufficient for this. So, a proper water supply is important for growth.
However, you also have to make sure you don’t overwater as this can damage the roots of your grass. Make sure you water it sufficiently before Fall begins, and when the frost comes, leave it alone. Frozen ground stops water absorption, so there is no need to continue watering then.
Easy Ways To Water
Whilst you now know why you should stop watering your lawn in Fall, you might not know the best way to water your lawn. You can do it by hand with a watering can or hose, but this is slow if you have a large area to cover.
Watering Your Lawn With Sprinklers
One option is watering with a sprinkler system. We’ve already got a brilliant article on how often you should water with a sprinkler. We have also reviewed some of the top sprinklers on the market to make your choice of product super simple.
Grass sprinklers are great for watering your lawn as they do the job for you. You don’t have to walk around with a hose, and you get an even spread of water across your grass. However, they do use a lot of water. In periods of extreme heat or drought in the Summer especially, local authorities will often issue a hosepipe ban or recommend not watering your lawn with them. Pay attention to this in the warmer months if you opt for a sprinkler system in particular.
Lawn Irrigation Systems
Next, you can also set up a lawn irrigation system. This can help to make sure you don’t overwater your lawn, which can cause diseases and rotting grass.
Automatic irrigation systems are watering systems that operate on timers. You can set them to for watering your lawn whenever is appropriate. Similar to a sprinkler system but a bit more sophisticated, this is a great option if you want to automate the process and take out some of the hard work.
Conclusion
So, the answer to when you should stop watering your lawn is relatively simple. Work out what type of grass you have, watch for the frost to begin, and make sure you don’t overwater to avoid ruining your lawn. You can even automate the watering process to take a bit of the hassle out of grass maintanance.
Now you’ve learned all about watering grass, why not check out my other article on why you shouldn’t mow a wet lawn to further prepare for Fall weather?
