Many homeowner’s will either overwater or underwater their lawn. Fighting for a thick and lush lawn can be a major battle for many homeowners. Finding the perfect amount of water your lawn needs can be a major challenge. To find the perfect amount of water your lawn needs, it is important to identify when you are overwatering or underwatering your lawn. Mickey’s LawnScapes will share the signs of both overwatering and underwatering a lawn to help you determine the perfect amount of water your lawn will need.
How Do I Know if I Overwatered My Lawn?
A lawn will show you clear signs that it is being overwatered. However, you can kill your lawn if you fail to identify overwatering and reduce the amount of water you are giving your lawn. Here are some of the major signs of overwatering.
• Soggy Soil: If your soil is constantly wet, this is a clear sign that you’re overwatering your lawn. Properly watered lawns should have soil that feels damp but never soggy.
• Yellowing Grass: Overwatering the lawn can lead to a lack of oxygen that will turn grass yellow or a lighter color green.
• Weeds: Some types of weeds, like nutsedge and crabgrass, thrive in overwatered lawns. The presence of weeds in your lawn can point to overwatering.
• Mushrooms and Fungus: Excessive amounts of water can lead to the growth of mushrooms and fungus in your lawn. If you see mushrooms growing or fungi there is too much water in the soil.
• Water Runoff: If you notice water running off your lawn and onto the sidewalk or street, it’s a sign that there is more water than the soil can absorb.
• Disease: Overwatering can lead to an increased chance of disease, such as root rot. The grass’s roots are constantly wet will lead to rot and death of the lawn.
What Does Grass Look Like when it Needs Water?
Like overwatering, a lawn will also give you signs that it is not getting enough water. Underwatering a lawn will also lead to the grass’s death. If you are worried your lawn is being underwatered, here are some classic signs of an underwatered lawn.
• Dry, Hard Soil: If your soil is hard or you can see cracks in it, your lawn is likely being underwatered.
• Brown or Dry Patches: Brown or dry patches of grass are the most common signs of an underwatered lawn. The grass might start turning brown and begin to thin out.
• Footprints or Tire Tracks: Underwatered grass won’t spring back quickly after being stepped on or driven over, leading to visible footprints or tire tracks.
• Wilting: The grass blades will curl up or wilt to conserve the water that is the grass, when the grass is not getting enough water.
• Slow Growth: If your lawn isn’t growing as quickly as it should or you’re not needing to mow as often, this could be another sign of underwatering.
Landscape Design & Construction, Lawn Maintenance & More in Amagansett, Aquebogue, Baiting Hollow, Calverton, Cutchogue, East Hampton, East Hampton North, Greenport, Jamesport, Laurel, Mattituck, Montauk, Nassau Point, Northville, Northwest Harbor, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southold, Springs, Wading River, Westhampton Beach in East End of Long Island, New York
A healthy lawn will typically require around 1 to 1 ½ inches of water per week, either from rainfall, an irrigation system or other form of watering. However, the amount can vary depending on the species of grass as well as your climate. A professional landscaping service can help you find the perfect amount of water for your lawn so you can have a lush and healthy lawn. For landscaping services and more, contact Mickey’s LawnScapes today.
