How long should you water your lawn? Best tips for 2024

Regardless of where you are geographically, most lawns only need 1 inch of water every week, including any rainfall, to remain healthy. While there is no exact window for how long you should water your lawn, typically, it takes about 30 minutes to gather a 1/2-inch of water in the summer months. 

Specific watering times for individual lawns will depend on your type of sprinkler system, the depth of your roots and the local environment. Starting in the spring, water your lawn for about 15 minutes four times a week to see how your yard responds. Most sprinkler systems measure how much water they are using and allow you to adjust your system accordingly. 

“The best way to accurately track how much rainfall your lawn is receiving is with an onsite rain gauge,” said Kelly Kopp, Ph.D., professor and extension specialist in the Plants, Soils & Climate department at Utah State University. If you don’t have a rain gauge, look at the National Weather Service precipitation data.

If you live in an area that does not get regular rainfall, perhaps invest in cool-season grasses such as ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass or fescue. “Fine fescues are among the most drought-tolerant varieties of lawn grass and will bounce back from dry spells faster than other grass types,” said Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann, Ph.D., senior extension associate at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. 

Tall fescues also help preserve soil moisture in dry environments. Warm-season grasses — including bermuda and bahia — work well in southern regions, where summers are more extreme. 

Our guide explains the fundamentals of watering your yard with the right amount of water so you can have a healthy lawn regardless of where you live. Always consider your lawn’s root system, soil type and your water bill.

What is the best water schedule for lawns?

The best time to water grass is early morning, typically between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., depending on your local sunrise and weather. “Early morning watering is best to prevent midday evaporation,” said Teri Valenzuela, natural science manager at Sunday, a lawn care subscription service. “Aim for 1 inch of water weekly, distributed over one to three sessions.”

This window stimulates deeper, healthier grass roots without allowing the water to sit and allow funguses to grow; it’s also an efficient way to avoid having most of your water dry up without reaching the roots as is the case with daytime watering in warmer climates.

Many cool and warm-season grasses will naturally go dormant during nongrowing seasons (winter). But some will also go dormant during periods of stress caused by extreme heat, cold or droughts. “By entering dormancy, grasses are really protecting their crowns for future recovery,” Kopp said. 

If the look of a dormant yard, which typically resembles dead or brown grass, is off-putting, remember that allowing dormancy is a sustainable practice, and once it starts to rain again, your lawn will return.  

“The roots and crown of the plants are still alive and can remain dormant for six weeks without trouble,” Gangloff-Kaufmann added. Ensuring that you adhere to a good watering schedule allows your lawn to establish deeper roots that can easily survive this kind of dormancy. 

Lawn watering schedule by season

• Spring: Regular rainfall and cooler temperatures means you can use less water — once or twice a week for 15 minutes is enough.
• Summer: Water your lawn for about 30 minutes earlier in the mornings and closer to three times a week as hotter temperatures will result in more stress to your grass.
• Fall: As temperatures cool down, you can water your lawn later in the mornings for about 20 minutes and go back to once or twice a week.
• Winter: Typically this is a nongrowing season, you can water your lawn once a week for 15 minutes and not at all during periods of dormancy. Cold climates require no watering. 

Your lawn watering needs will change with the seasons due to variations in temperature and rainfall. In general, lawns require more water during the hot summer months and less water during the cooler spring and fall. Adjusting your seasonal lawn care schedule seasonally helps to prevent overwatering or underwatering, and promotes a more resilient lawn better equipped to withstand environmental stresses.

How do I know if I am watering my lawn too much?

“If walking on your lawn feels like stepping on a wet sponge or if you spot mushrooms, that’s a sign you’re watering too much,” Valenzuela said. “Too much water can suffocate roots and invite diseases to your lawn.” Aside from reducing the risk of fungal disease, there are other benefits to preventing overwatering. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cites that using just enough water helps reduce runoff and may decrease the need for pesticides and fertilizers. 

Your lawn needs no more than 1 inch of water each week. However, if it seems that your lawn is getting more, but you’re not sure, try this trick: Place empty tuna cans around your yard to measure how much water the lawn is actually getting after each watering session. “If the cans collect about a half inch in 30 minutes, you’re hitting the sweet spot,” Valenzuela said.

If your lawn still looks overwatered, you might want to shorten the watering sessions. Remember to take the local environment into account. Rainfall and humidity of your region are factors that affect lawn care.

Signs of an overwatered lawn

• Standing water
• Mushrooms
• Spongy ground
• Overgrowth of weeds
• Slow-growing grass or yellowing of the grass
• Presence of thatch

How do I know if I am watering my lawn too little?

Depriving your lawn of moisture can result in a dull blue color or grass that flattens easily. You can try the screwdriver test to determine whether your lawn needs additional moisture. Take a 4- to 6-inch screwdriver and push it into your lawn. 

“The screwdriver test helps determine how deeply moisture has moved from the ground surface into the soil profile below,” Kopp said. “When it becomes more difficult to press the screwdriver into the ground or a point of resistance is met, the extent of soil moisture has been reached.” Simply put: If the soil is extra dry, your lawn needs to drink. 

Signs of an underwatered lawn

• Dull blue-gray color to the lawn
• Grass that stays flat upon walking
• Yellow grass blades
• Curling or crispy grass blades
• Brown spots

What’s next?

If you think you’re giving your lawn about 1 inch of water each week, but it still looks off, consider auditing your sprinklers. “Irrigation systems and their components change in response to weather conditions, management practices and even the water pressure as it enters the system,” Kopp said. For instance, sprinkler heads commonly sink below grade or become tilted over time.

“This can happen due to the freezing and thawing of soils or running them over with equipment [mowers]. Raising and straightening those sprinkler heads improves the application efficiency of irrigation water,” she added. 

Additionally, you may be mowing your grass too much. “Cutting grass blades too short forces grass to use reserve energy stores,” Valenzuela said. “This can stunt growth and lead to weak blades, making it more susceptible to disease, weeds and summer stress.”

Should your lawn give off a sulfur-like odor (think burnt matches or rotten eggs), seek professional expertise. “This smell is caused by decomposing plant material and low oxygen levels in the soil and indicates your grass is likely dead and requires comprehensive repair,” Valenzuela said. She further explains that nutrient-fertilizers help lawns withstand drier climates by encouraging deep root development and “allowing your lawn to access deeper moisture reserves which is key for surviving extreme heat and drought.”

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