Determining how much water the lawn needs can be difficult because it changes throughout the year. But if you get it right, you can keep your lawn green without wasting water. In fall, the lawn usually needs less water because growing conditions are ideal. Read on to learn how to water the lawn in the fall months.
Watering the lawn in September
During the summer months in Utah, you may need to water the lawn up to 3 times a week. Especially when temperatures remain higher than 85 degrees, you’ll want to continue watering your lawn every other day to keep it green.
Once temperatures start to decrease to the 70-degree range in September, you should adjust your watering schedule to twice a week. But how often you need to water the lawn also depends on the amount of rainfall we receive. The lawn needs around an inch of water a week, so you can forego running your sprinklers if it rains enough.
Watering the lawn in October
In October, when temperatures decrease to 70 degrees and lower, you can reduce your watering to once a week because this is within the ideal temperature range for Kentucky bluegrass lawns. Usually in October, the weather is cool enough that watering the lawn once a week is sufficient; however, you should still check the temperature to determine how often to water.
Watering the lawn in November
If the weather remains above 60 degrees, you can keep watering the lawn, but at this time of year, many people start preparing for winter by reducing watering time. If you haven’t already, November is the month you will probably turn off your sprinklers for the season, but the exact timing depends on the weather.
When to turn off your sprinklers
You can stop watering and turn off your sprinkler system when temperatures consistently drop to 50 degrees and lower. In addition, when you start to see freezing temperatures on the fall weather forecast, make sure you winterize your sprinkler system to prevent water in the lines from freezing and damaging the sprinklers.
Watering Tips
- During the watering season, you should check your sprinklers periodically to make sure sprinkler heads are working properly.
- You should only water the lawn during the day, rather than in the middle of the night. This will help prevent fungal diseases from spreading in the lawn and allow you to see if something is wrong with the sprinklers.
- Don’t forget that watering deeply a few times a week is better than watering a little bit every day. Watering deeply will help strengthen the root system.
- If you’re wondering whether the lawn needs water, you can use a soil probe to check the soil. The soil should be moist and malleable—if the soil is dry and crumbly, you should water immediately.
- If the lawn is mostly green but has some dry spots, your sprinklers may be watering unevenly and need to be adjusted. Check that your sprinklers are covering all parts of the lawn by collecting and measuring the amount of water reaching those areas.
Watering isn’t the only thing that can be difficult about lawn care. Applying the right fertilizer and eliminating weeds and grubs can also be challenging. This is why you should call or text our office at 801-226-2261 for a free lawn service quote and more information.