The right amount when watering plants is a challenge for many gardeners. It is also important to keep the right amount when sprinkling the lawn. This guide explains how long a lawn sprinkler should run.
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find mediocrity
Not too much and not too little – as is so often the case, mediocrity is the optimal guideline for watering the lawn. The consequences of insufficient moisture are dry spots in the lawn that have a brown or gray tinge. There is a significant optical reduction.
Too much water, on the other hand, causes the lawn to rot, promotes fungal growth and provides moss with optimal breeding ground.
note the season
On hot summer days, the lawn dries out faster than in spring or autumn. The guide values for watering are:
- April and May: approx. 15 l per sqm
- June to August: approx. 20 to 25 l per sqm
- September and October: approx. 10 to 15 l per sqm
Blow up at the right time
In the midday sun, the irrigation water evaporates quickly and does not penetrate deep enough into the soil. It is better to water the lawn in the early morning, late evening or even at night.
Determine benchmarks
Although every gardener has to calculate his water requirements and the duration himself, there is still a recommendation that watering should moisten the soil to a depth of about 15 cm. At this depth, the grass roots are anchored in the ground, through which the lawn absorbs moisture.
The optimal sprinkling of the lawn can be determined using two methods. On the one hand, the time is of interest, on the other hand, many gardeners wonder how much water they use or how they should adjust their garden sprinkler. The easiest way for gardeners to determine the amount of water is to use an outdoor meter, which is integrated into most outdoor water connections. If this is not the case, use a bucket to help (see below).
A soil sample can be used to determine the duration of irrigation.
Carry out a ground check
- Run the sprinkler for 10 minutes
- then turn it off and check the floor
- to do this, lever out a piece of lawn with a spade
- measure the wet part of the soil
An example should now illustrate the calculation: Assuming that water has penetrated 8 cm deep into the ground after 10 minutes, there are still 7 cm missing from the optimal value. Accordingly, the lawn sprinkler has to run for another 9 to 10 minutes.
Once the optimal sprinkling time is known, the amount of water required can also be determined.
- Mount a garden sprinkler in a 20 liter bucket (also a rain barrel with more volume is an alternative)
Referring to the example above:
After 20 minutes, the water has seeped 15 cm deep into the ground. For those 20 minutes, the water from the sprinkler will drain into the bucket (or barrel). Then read the meter reading or fill level of the container. You get the amount of water you need.
frequently asked Questions
It does not harm the grass if it is not watered for several days in a row. On the contrary, a longer break is even recommended. If the lawn takes on a slight gray tinge, only the leaves of the grass plant wither, the roots remain intact. The root strands instinctively orientate themselves deeper into the soil in order to reach the moist soil near the groundwater. In the long run, the grass takes root more firmly and becomes more resistant to dry phases.
There is no blanket recommendation for sprinkling the lawn. Factors such as shading, type of soil (loamy, permeable) and the season require individual adjustment.
For the clever (or lazy) gardener, the trade offers numerous efficient automatisms that take over the watering independently. High-quality devices have an intelligent sensor that is able to measure the soil moisture and adjust the amount of water as needed.
