Many of the questions that homeowners have for us here at Carolina Fresh Farms revolve around when, how often and how much to water their lawns. In order for a lawn and surrounding plants, shrubs, trees and bushes to thrive, they must be properly watered. Summertime is the one of the most important seasons to pay attention to your yard; especially in our steamy South Carolina climate. 

When Should You Water Your Lawn

Watering your lawn in the summer is very important. The best time to water your lawn is in the early morning hours just before daylight. This practice avoids wasting of water due to rapid evaporation that may happen during the hotter parts of the day. Watering in the early morning also allows for the water to dry up relatively quicker and avoids the possibility for disease. If you water at night, and water sits on your grass overnight, you may be more susceptible to lawn diseases.

How Much to Water

When it comes to the amount of water your yard needs, the first thing you may want to do is audit your irrigation system and understand how much water is being sprayed in certain amounts of time. To audit your irrigation system, you can simply use emptied tuna cans and place them around your lawn while you run your sprinkler system. Measure the amount of water captured by the can in a certain amount of time and you will have a better idea of how much water is applied in a fixed amount of time. This practice also helps identify areas that may need to be hand-watered if they do not receive enough coverage by your irrigation system.

A general rule of thumb is that you would like to add 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week to your lawn. You should take into consideration rainfall as well when it comes to this measurement. When watering your lawn you will not want to water for short intervals, and it is best to apply 0.25″ – 0.5″ of water at a time and repeat this two to three times per week. Deeper watering promotes deeper roots and really depends on your soil profile. View our Care Guides or visit a Carolina Fresh Farms Location to get specific tips for your lawn.

Watering Plants, Trees and Shrubs

Note that when it comes to different kinds of plants, there are often different watering recommendations, so be sure to know which plants will need a little more or a little less water. In many cases, albeit not all, common sense is the best guide to determining how much water your plants need. Signs that a plant needs water can be wilting of its leaves or flowers, or the flowers and leaves turning brown. Avoid flooding and standing water and be sure to spot check different areas to be sure that there is always some level of moisture present—if not, more water is likely required. Also, if your plants, trees or shrubs are newly planted, be sure to keep those properly watered since they are going through stress already and you do not want the roots to dry out.

A handy mobile app that we like to recommend to our customers called Planta is a great resource for helping to care for your yard. Features like notifications that serve as reminders on when to water and care instructions are all helpful tools to keep plants alive and thriving. 
Still have questions about watering? Wondering which grasses are drought resistant and require less water? Feel free to contact us directly. Here at Carolina Fresh Farms, we are dedicated to providing you with the best products and resources to make the yard of your dreams a reality. Education is key to maintaining a thriving yard, and our experts are excited to help answer your questions and troubleshoot the areas that are causing problems. We look forward to serving you soon.