WATERING AT NIGHT:
A CONVERSATION
A CONVERSATION
Watering your plants is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a beautiful and healthy landscape. However, not all watering practices are created equal. In fact, the timing of your watering can have a significant impact on the health and longevity of your plants. In this article, we’ll explore the topic of watering and dive into a conversation between a landscape owner and a landscape designer about the practice of watering at night. Let’s take a closer look.
Landscape Owner (LO): It’s August. It’s been in the 90s for weeks and my lawn is struggling. It takes a ton of water to keep it green. What should I do?
Detailed Landscape (DL): Water at night!
LO:
Doesn’t watering at night encourage disease in lawn? Since the grass is moist for a longer time?
DL:
That’s a myth! We hear that pretty often from clients. We promise: watering at night has a lot of benefits!
LO:
Really? Like what?
DL:
Overall it helps reduce evaporation and maximizes absorption. If you water in the middle of the day, when that famous Colorado sun is blazing, the water you’re putting on your lawn is evaporating quickly. That means you’re using more water and your lawn is getting less.
LO:
Well, that makes sense. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that! What time of night is the best? Right after dusk?
DL:
Set your sprinkler system to start between 10 p.m. and midnight. It’s a good time because the weather is usually less windy and cooler, which helps with evaporation and absorption.
LO:
What if I don’t have an automated sprinkler system? I don’t really want to water my lawn instead of going to bed.
DL:
Just try to get as close to that time frame. Or you could wait until early morning — between 4 a.m. and 5 is a good time, too.
LO:
While we’re talking about watering, is it better to water for a short or long period of time?
DL:
If you give your lawn a lot of water in a short period of time, it might have trouble absorbing it all—leading to runoff (and wasted water). It’s usually most effective to water one part of your grass at a time, wait an hour or so, and then give it a bit more. But of course that depends on the size of your lawn!
LO:
That’s great to know! Thanks!
DL:
Sure! Just take care of that lawn and you’ll be appreciating it year after year (and save some water in the process)!
If you need any other advice or help maintaining your yard, give us a call!
