A common misconception about lawn care is that the more you water, the healthier your lawn will be. Overzealous lawn caretakers will nearly drown their lawns in hope of obtaining perfectly green, healthy grass. Newsflash, more water does not equal a healthier lawn. In fact, over-watering is more damaging to your lawn than under watering. This is why it is so important that you understand the damage you can cause by sprinkling your lawn with extra water.
Many lawn caregivers do not understand that lawns need much more than a steady supply of water. In the soil of your lawn are nutrients that your grass needs to grow healthy and strong. These nutrients enable the roots to grow deep and for the grass to fight off harmful diseases and parasites. When you over-water your lawn, you can easily wash away important nutrients and minerals in the soil. To help you better understand, know that over watering your lawn has the same effect on grass as over drinking water in humans has on electrolytes. Not only does washing away the body’s electrolytes make us feel sick, but it can also be damaging to our health. It’s all about balance.
Not only does water flush away nutrients, water can also displace oxygen in the soil. When this happens, roots of your grass are forced to grow closer to the surface, making your grass weaker and more susceptible to diseases. When you displace the oxygen in the soil, you also make the soil more prone to support weed growth.
Many lawn caregivers, who don’t know that over-watering flushes nutrients and oxygen out of the soil, tend to find themselves in a vicious circle of over watering and fertilizing. When you continue to over-water fertilized lawns, all you are really doing is washing away the nutrients you just replaced. You end up wasting money on fertilizer that is washed away before it can supply nutrition to the soil. If you want your fertilizer to work, you need to make sure you are not over watering and flushing the nutrients out. Fertilizing an over-watered lawn is pointless.
If you’re unsure if your lawn is receiving enough water, err on the side that it most likely is. Over watering is way worse than under-watering, so don’t be afraid to cut back a bit. Your lawn could be healthier with less watering.
