Lawn Watering Tips

Spring and summer seasons bring warmer and dryer weather resulting in increased demand for municipal water which places a strain on the water supply system. The City of Kingston is encouraging residents and business to practice water conservation by limiting outdoor water usage in accordance with the Water By-law.

Proper lawn watering practices improve the quality of your lawn and can save you money. Most home and business owners tend to over water their lawns and actually waste water. In some cases more than 50% of the water applied to lawns and gardens is lost due to evaporation or run-off because of over watering.

Lawn Watering Tips:

• The healthiest lawns are produced when they are watered deeply at infrequent intervals. Your lawn does not require a much water to thrive - about 2-3 centimeters (1 inch) of water per week either by rainfall or by watering for established lawns.
• New grass seed or sod will require about 2-3 centimeters (1inch) of water as well but at a more frequent rate of about 2-3 times per week for about 3 weeks at which time it can be considered established.
• Use a rain gauge or place containers in various locations on your lawn while using a sprinkler to determine the amount of water applied over a period of time to determine when 2-3 centimeters has been applied.
• Water at the right time of the day. Best is in the early morning when evaporation is at a minimum and enables greater penetration of the water into the ground. The City of Kingston restricts lawn watering by sprinklers to between 5:00 AM and 10:00 AM on your permitted day.
• Use the right kind of sprinkler. Sprinklers that shoot low to the ground are superior to oscillating/fan type sprinklers that lose much of their water to evaporation and wind drift before hitting the ground.
• Although soil types vary in the speed upon which water will penetrate into the soil, generally, most watering systems apply water faster than it can be absorbed by the soil. Watch for puddles or run-off and interrupt watering to enable absorption.
• Trim your grass, don't shave it. Leave the grass at least 6-8 centimeters (3 inches) long to provide shade for the roots.