Nobody sets out to drown their lawn. But yours might need a life preserver — and you might not even know it.
Why is overwatering bad for your lawn?
Too much water drowns the roots, and they can’t absorb the oxygen they need to thrive.
Your struggling lawn will turn yellow, be susceptible to lawn diseases and insect invasions and could eventually die.
You might be overwatering your lawn and not even realize it, thanks to an irrigation system that might be set wrong, leaking or outdated.
Get ready to learn more about lawn water damage, including:
- The signs of overwatered grass
- Why you shouldn’t water every day
- How often you should water your lawn
- Is your irrigation system to blame?
- How an irrigation system tune-up can help
What Are the Signs of Overwatering Grass?
Some are obvious. Some need a closer look:
Discolored Grass
Your lawn should be nice and green. If it’s pale or yellow it could be getting too much water.
Water Runoff
If your lawn is getting too much water, it can’t absorb it all. So you might see the excess running off onto your sidewalks, driveway or patio.
Muddy Soil
Could you hold a mud pie making contest out there? Constant mud means too much water.
Soggy, Mushy Soil
Take a walk on your lawn. Does it feel mushy? Does water seep up around your feet? There’s too much water down there, and that leads to lawn water damage.
Excess Thatch
Thatch is a layer of partially decomposed plant material and shallow roots that form a dense mat just beneath your lawn. Normally, it breaks down naturally over time, but too much water prevents that process and the thatch gets thicker. When thatch gets too thick, oxygen can’t reach your lawn’s roots, causing it to struggle and get weak.
Fungus
Lawn fungus loves wet soil, so if you’re seeing signs of disease, like weird pale circles, or mildew or mushrooms, your grass might be getting too much water, causing fungus to thrive.
Insect Invasions
Too much water makes your grass weak, which invites hungry chomping lawn pests to show up for an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Lawn Overwatering: Are You Watering Every Day?
You’re probably just trying to be a good lawn owner and giving your grass plenty to drink.
Put a pause on that. Your lawn doesn’t need water every day.
You want to let the soil dry out between waterings, which means water longer and less frequently.
Why?
You want your grass to have to search for water, sending its roots deeper into the soil. That encourages the roots to grow longer and deeper, which means your grass will be healthier.
Water too often, and those roots can just hang out near the surface and get all the water they need.
Shallow roots can’t handle the stress of a sudden drought or a summer lawn disease as well as deeper roots.
Meanwhile, you’re paying for that excess water. Not only is it causing lawn water damage, it’s clobbering your wallet.
So, How Much Should I Water My Lawn?
When it comes to irrigation questions, this is like the Final Jeopardy question — it’s tough.
Your goal should be an inch of water per week, and that includes any rain that falls. But lots of different factors affect how long you should actually water your lawn to get that inch.
What type of soil do you have? Are you on a slope? Is your lawn In the shade, or full sun? What type of sprinkler heads do you have?
If your soil is clay, it tends to hold water for long periods, so you might just need to water for 15 minutes. But water runs right through sandy soil. Your watering might take 45 minutes.
If you have rotor irrigation heads that revolve as they water, you might need 30 minutes of water. But some spray heads deliver more water, and you might need to run them for just 10 minutes.
Before you give up in frustration and pave over your yard with green concrete, hire a skilled and knowledgeable irrigation company to help you assess your particular lawn and create an irrigation plan perfect for its needs, to prevent overwatering your lawn.
Is Your Irrigation System the Problem?
We’re not trying to throw your irrigation system under the bus here, but it could be to blame for overwatering your lawn. It might be out there watering your lawn too much without you even knowing it.
How? Check out these possibilities:
Your Irrigation Controller is Out of Whack
(Pardon the technical term.)
When your irrigation specialist sets up your irrigation settings on your controller, it’s set for a perfectly efficient irrigation system, saving you water, saving you money, and giving your lawn just the right amount of water, with no excess.
Life is good.
But maybe you mess around with the irrigation settings a little. Or maybe it’s still set to water for the hot, dry days of summer, but it’s fall now, and pumping out more water than your lawn now needs.
Some people set their controller timers and just forget them. Be sure to change those settings with the changing seasons and your lawn’s changing water needs.
Maybe Your Rain Sensor Isn’t Working
If you have a rain sensor, check on it once in a while. Make sure the batteries are still working and that it’s clear and not obstructed by debris.
If it isn’t working, you could end up watering your lawn while it’s raining. That can cause your neighbors to get a bit judgey, and your lawn to get too much water.
Your Sprinkler Heads Are Old or Broken
Sprinkler heads go through a lot out there, causing them to spray water haphazardly or leak, overwatering your lawn.
Lawn mowers hit them. Snow plows crunch them. Maybe they’re just old and outdated, spraying too much water inefficiently.
Are Your Valves Leaking?
The valves in your irrigation system are like faucets that turn the water on and off. Like that annoying bathroom faucet that won’t stop dripping, they can leak, releasing too much water onto your lawn.
How Long Has It Been Since Your Last Irrigation Tune-up?
If it’s been a while since a pro has checked out your irrigation system, it’s pretty likely not everything is working perfectly out there, and your system might be giving your lawn too much water, causing lawn water damage.
Regular irrigation tune-ups are crucial to having an efficient irrigation system.
Invest in a sprinkler system maintenance plan and you’ll have peace of mind that a skilled irrigation specialist will discover any of the issues listed above before your lawn is damaged by too much water.
Specialists will also make sure each of your zones turn on and off and run properly, so your entire lawn gets the right amount of water, and not too much.
How often should all this happen? Spring, summer, and fall. In spring, irrigation specialists should visit to start up your system, in fall, to shut it down, and don’t neglect that all-important summer visit to look over your irrigation system when it’s working the hardest.
Bonus: you get great advice along the way to make your sprinkler system more efficient — and to make sure you’re not overwatering your lawn. Maybe there’s a cool new gizmo out there that helps reduce irrigation water waste. You’ll be in the know.
Stop Lawn Water Damage with RainMaster
If you’re the one out there drenching your poor lawn with the garden hose, that’s on you.
But if your irrigation system is to blame, let us help get things running perfectly, with irrigation and lawn care in Minneapolis, MN & Eau Claire, WI to make sure your lawn gets the right amount of water and not too much.
At RainMaster, we offer three levels of irrigation programs designed to keep your system working properly from spring through fall: Peak Performance, Optimum Operation, and Efficient Essentials.
You choose the level that suits your needs and let us do the rest.
Your irrigation program should be designed to match your needs. Every visit is planned to optimize the performance of your irrigation system, reduce water usage, and promote a healthier landscape.
Sign up for our Peak Performance plan, and we’ll even come out every month and adjust the settings for you.
When you’re ready to put your trust in us, we can’t wait to meet you — and help you make the best choices for your lawn.
Want to be confident about your choice for irrigation services? Request a quote today! We’ll review your options together so you can make a confident decision. Then, you can finally enjoy your lawn and stop worrying about it.
