The three basic needs for a lawn to be healthy and green are sunlight, nutrients, and water. Sunlight is for the most part out of your control while nutrients and watering are all up to you. The quantity and frequency of watering are crucial.

Many people often think that since a brown lawn is dry and a wet lawn is green then brown means it needs more water. This may NOT be the case. Over watering can turn a lawn just as brown as under watering.

Below your grass the soil is composed of particles with pockets of air and water. These pockets are what allow oxygen and water to reach the lawn roots. If you are over watering the pockets will be saturated with water and air and nutrients are then blocked from the roots. Nutrients are needed for growth and for a lawn to have a rich green color.

5 Signs You May Be Over Watering Your Lawn

1-A Swamp
If you walk across the grass and can see mud or if your feet sink at all the grass is too wet. Improper watering can build a shell over your soil and make the swamp even worse. Decreasing the frequency of watering, and possibly the watering duration as well, will help fix the issue. A lawn aeration may further assist in removing the already established problem.

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2-Water Runoff
If water is running off the lawn and down the street you have a problem. You need to decrease the watering time (could be cut into shorter periods) and possibly increase the frequency. Some lawns can produce runoff in only a couple of minutes. If a few minutes is not enough to penetrate at least 6” then it may be necessary to water for 3 minutes, 3 different times an hour or two apart instead of one time for 10 minutes.

3-Weeds
Over watering your lawn harms it by thinning it out. The open space is then a prime location for weeds are they have space, nutrients, and plenty of water. If weeds are taking over, water less, not more. (You will also want to look at our blog post about weeds and how to remove them from your lawn.)

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4-Fungi
This is often big white mushrooms. Mushrooms need a lot more water than grass to grow and so if they are growing you know you are over doing it. Other types of fungi are harder to see because they are often microscopic but will produce almost perfect circular brown patches and will kill your lawn.

5-Bugs
Over watering increase thatch which is the living and breeding ground for bugs. If you see little bugs jump or fly when you walk across the lawn that is a sign of over watering. You will also need to treat for the bugs as turning down the water won’t get rid of the bugs.

If you see any of these signs you will want to do more research. You will want to experiment with your watering frequency and quantity to avoid runoff. When fungi, bugs, or weeds appear it might be time to call a professional. The sooner these problems are dealt with the easier and cheaper they are to fix..