When Is The Best Time Of Day To Water Your Lawn?

Some homeowners seem to find that they can only water their lawn when it is convenient for them. This for them may mean early in the day, late in the day, or even after sunset (if an irrigation system is being used). There is one time during the day, however, when a lawn stands to benefit the most from being watered. That time is after any overnight dew has evaporated and before mid-afternoon when the day’s heat is strongest.

The reason you should wait until after your lawn is dry (no longer damp from the overnight dew) is because there are certain water-borne fungi that require 8 to 10 or more hours of moisture before they will start to flourish. For example, if it began raining at 6 p.m. and stopped at 11 p.m., but then because of cooler night temperatures your lawn remained wet until sunrise at 6 a.m., your lawn will already have been continuously wet for 12 hours. If you were to begin watering your lawn - either manually or via an irrigation system - at 6 a.m., you would be extending the time that your lawn has been continuously wet and thereby increasing the possibility of a fungus problem. It would be much better in this situation to hold off watering until the previous day’s rain or the previous night’s dew has completely evaporated and your lawn has become dry to the touch. Once it has become dry it would take another 8 to 10 or more hours of being continuously wet for any fungi to start flourishing again.

Another important consideration in the watering of your lawn is to have watered the lawn just prior to the time of day that it needs it most. Since mid-afternoon is usually the hottest part of the day, it is best to have finished watering by this time. If you have watered prior to the hottest part of the day then your lawn will be in much better condition to survive the coming heat.

There is an old wives tale that says, “One should not water their lawn on a hot sunny day because it will burn the lawn”. Although there is much I could say about this old wives tale, I will refrain and simply say that this is bunk. Your lawn will do far better if you give it the water it needs prior to the hottest part of the day than if you just stand by and watch it bake in the sun.

In simple terms, the best time to water your lawn is anytime between about 10 o’clock in the morning and approximately 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

NEXT TIME: How Much Should I Water My Lawn?