I am having a disagreement with my son-in-law over the best time to water my lawn. He thinks the best time to water is around 11 p.m., and I think it’s best to water early in the morning. To preserve family peace, can you please settle this argument?
— Linda Joseph, Arlington Heights
I am happy to provide some guidance to preserve your family’s tranquility. The best time to water your lawn is early in the morning for a few reasons. The main reason is that the lawn will dry out more quickly when it is watered in the early morning. This is important because extended periods of wet conditions in the lawn can promote disease. Watering at night can extend the period that the grass is wet. There will be less evaporation of the water than when it’s applied in the early morning, as the air temperatures are lower and the sun is less intense.
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I often see lawns with automatic watering systems running three or more days a week. This leads to overwatered lawns. The best practice is to water your lawn infrequently and deeply to encourage a deep root system that will result in grass that is more resilient to stressful environmental conditions. One deep soaking a week should be adequate for your lawn. The irrigation system should be set up with an automatic shut-off when there is enough rain. I hate to see irrigation systems running during a significant rain event that is providing adequate water for the lawn.
Another option is to stop watering the lawn and let it go dormant naturally during the typical warmer and drier months of summer. I do not water my lawn at home, and it takes on an off-green to brownish color as it goes dormant during dry periods. I appreciate the break from mowing (once every two to three weeks) as the grass stops growing.
For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at [email protected]. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.