How To Grow A Green, Healthy Lawn (Without A Sprinkler System)

Watering seems simple enough when you think about it right? Just water, rinse, repeat. But there are numerous variables to consider when you’re aiming to minimize waste, prevent pests, and ward off plant disease. To ensure you get the job done right, we’re sharing some best-kept secrets from landscaping professionals on the best ways to water your lawn and garden. When you truly understand your yard’s environmental requirements and tailor your lawn care practices to suit individualized conditions, you get a healthy, eco-friendly lawn. It’s possible to design your yard so it thrives mostly on rainwater and a manual watering schedule, without the need for additional irrigation systems.

Mulch Your Garden + Landscape Beds

Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil to reduce erosion and weeds. Remember to avoid placing material too close to stems and trunks to prevent rot.

Water At The Right Time

Early morning or late evening is prime time to water – the temperatures and wind speeds are at their lowest which mean less water loss from evaporation. To ensure you’re providing enough nourishment to keep your yard healthy, it is important to have a watering schedule that suits your region considering the average rainfall. Water at least one inch at a time, and let the surface dry out in between waterings – this allows the water to saturate deep into the roots and promote new growth. Deep roots protect your grass against droughts. Your grass is also quite communicative about when it needs watering. If you notice footprints show more easily, this is a sign that your turf needs a drink. Watering once or twice a week is sufficient enough to keep grass healthy even in extreme heat. If you want to test exactly how much water your lawn requires, water for an hour or so and then check how deep the water is getting. Dig up a patch of lawn to do this. Dig down until the soil is dry. Then replace the patch and water it in. Adjust your watering time accordingly. Of course as the weather warms, spring and summer months require on average of 40-60 minutes of continuous watering. However, keep a close eye for signs of excessive wilting if you notice it hasn’t rained per usual. The amount of watering needed can also depend upon the types of plants you have in your yard. Xeriscaping is a technique used in which plants with similar water needs are grouped together in different areas of your yard to ensure they get the correct amount of attention. Planting native plants can help preserve water as they will be more resilient than tropical or more exquisite varieties.

Take Advantage Of The Rain

Turn your downspouts from gutters towards areas with planting. You can even collect rainwater from these outlets and store it in a barrel for dry spells.

Adjust Your Mowing Height

The longer the grass, the deeper the root system. If you mow your grass too short, it will put most of its energy into growing new blades and less into growing a resilient root system. In recent years, recommendations for mowing height have increased. We suggest between 2-3.75 inches for a good tolerance level.

Throttle Up!

Watering has never been easier than with Joe’s smart throttle high–pressure hose nozzle. With just the flick of your thumb, the nozzle adjusts from gentle spray to high-pressure stream to ensure maximum water pressure and flow wherever you want it most. Durable, rubberized easy-grip ergonomic handle and nozzle resists damage, rust, leakage, stands up to abuse for years of reliable operation and dependable performance. Each nozzle comes with quick connectors that make attaching them to a hose fast and easy, allowing you to swap hose attachments on the fly without getting soaked - and no need to turn off the hose! We give this system two green thumbs up! Need a solution to tangled, heavy hoses? Joe’s Italian-made soft-touch hose will change the way you water your yard and garden. The lightweight, kink-resistant, highly-flexible GELASTEX material is specially designed to expand up to 2.5 times its original length to reach up to 50, 75 or 100 feet in length and automatically retracts for quick and compact storage. This is a great solution for anyone looking for a more practical irrigation method.