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Is there a best time of day to water the lawn?
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Just before daylight, so that it has time to dry out before night time, and
develop fungus, etc. --James-- |
Ending just before dawn.
Why? If you water during the day, more water is lost to evaporation before it even hits the grass. If you water after sunset, some moisture remains on the blades for too long, and you could encourage fungal problems. That leaves just before dawn. Less water evaporates as part of the sprinkling process, and water that makes it to the blades, but doesn't make it to the soil can evaporate quickly, and not provide a place for fungus to multiply. -- Warren H. ========== Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife. Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants to go outside now. Have an outdoor project? Get a Black & Decker power tool:: http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/ |
My nextdoor neighbor, with the lushest lawn in town, waters from
2am-6am. He says he uses 9500 gallons each watering! |
"Ending just before dawn.
Why? If you water during the day, more water is lost to evaporation before it even hits the grass. If you water after sunset, some moisture remains on the blades for too long, and you could encourage fungal problems. That leaves just before dawn. Less water evaporates as part of the sprinkling process, and water that makes it to the blades, but doesn't make it to the soil can evaporate quickly, and not provide a place for fungus to multiply. '" I agree. Lots of people say not to water at night, as wet grass promtoes disease and fungus. However, I think this is mostly nonsense. AFter all, it rains at night doesn't it? I think you could safely water at night, as long as it's like every 4-7 days and giving it about an inch. I think the night watering problems come from people who are watering it every night, and with only enough water to get it wet. That is wrong, wheneve you do it. I do mine exactly as Warren suggest, having it end around dawn or shortly after. That minimizes evaporation and the time the lawn is wet. |
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Hah. Thanks.
I'm a musician so waking up that early (sometimes before I've even gone to bed!) is not an option. g I had thought that maybe watering at night was good because there is less evaporation but hadn't considered the fungus. Thanks to all. James wrote: Just before daylight, so that it has time to dry out before night time, and develop fungus, etc. --James-- -- Joey Goldstein http://www.joeygoldstein.com joegold AT sympatico DOT ca |
Joey Goldstein wrote:
Hah. Thanks. I'm a musician so waking up that early (sometimes before I've even gone to bed!) is not an option. g So get a timer. All my hoses, sprinklers, nozzles, etc. have quick disconnects on them. I'll go out around dinner time, and set the sprinkler to hit the right areas, and then pop the hose off the sprinkler, sip a timer in between the hose and the sprinkler. At 5am, while I'm involved in deep REM sleep, my lawn gets watered. When I get up at 9am, and go out to get the paper, I can see the last signs of wetness, and a finger into the soil confirms that it had been watered while I slept. I also use the timer on the soaker hoses I have buried in my various beds, and I have a meter that turns off based on volume on the hose hidden in the bushes that tops off my water feature. The net result is it doesn't matter if I forget I'm watering something. The water is automatically turned off at the right time. And being able to set the start time, I can water things at the best time of day even though it coincides with when I'm fast asleep. Rarely have I gotten so much satisfaction for so little money buying something that seemed to be a luxury at the time. -- Warren H. ========== Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife. Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants to go outside now. Have an outdoor project? Get a Black & Decker power tool:: http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/ |
"Joey Goldstein" wrote in message ... Hah. Thanks. I'm a musician so waking up that early (sometimes before I've even gone to bed!) is not an option. g That's why they invented timers! joe |
G Henslee wrote:
wrote: My nextdoor neighbor, with the lushest lawn in town, waters from 2am-6am. He says he uses 9500 gallons each watering! What's his address. Uh, I just want to go by and look. Put the pic on post cards and send it to Martha House Arrest. |
Joey Goldstein wrote:
Hah. Thanks. I'm a musician so waking up that early (sometimes before I've even gone to bed!) is not an option. g I had thought that maybe watering at night was good because there is less evaporation but hadn't considered the fungus. Thanks to all. One add on to this thread..-anytime- is better than no time. (soak it) |
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"JoeT" noway@today wrote:
"Joey Goldstein" wrote in message ... Hah. Thanks. I'm a musician so waking up that early (sometimes before I've even gone to bed!) is not an option. g That's why they invented timers! joe You mis-spelt irrigation system. :) |
"NJ is not the center of the universe.....in much of the western US
we get less than 6"/yr. Not a lot of night rain! We have night time temperatures perfect for fungal disease growth.....fact is in much of the irrigated world pre dawn watering is the smartest approach. " And isn't that what I said I do? if you're going to get it watered pre-dawn, then for a reasonable size lawn, you'll have to start at 1 or 2AM. |
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