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How much to water a newly hydroseeded lawn?

16 years ago

Hello,

I've read through the forum for the last couple months, and there is some great stuff in here, and seeing as how I'm a novice, I figured I'd get some good answers in here.

As I read, I see that 1" of water per week is ideal for established lawns, but how much should I be watering a newly hydroseeded lawn this time of year.

The front lawn (2000 sq ft) is newly hydroseeded, and the back lawn (2000 sq ft) was aerated today and overseeded by the landscaper.

I have an irrigation system using Rainbird heads, but as stated before, I am a novice and don't know how much water each puts out yet. (I'll try the tuna can method I read on another post).

I have each zone running at 3am and 3pm for about 10 minutes each. Unfortunately, this week is going to be dry and hot(in the 80's), but it is generally low 70's during the day.

Is this enough water and at the right times to get good germination?

thanks!

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Comments (4)

eastpenna
16 years ago
I have each zone running at 3am and 3pm for about 10 minutes each. Is this enough water and at the right times to get good germination?

I would only run the sprinklers at 3am if there was a chance of frost. I am running mine at noon and 5pm. The morning is wet enough that you don't need to run real early.

As far as how long to run them, I don't no if anyone can actually answer that for you. We do not no how many sprinklers you have, or how many are in a zone, are they head to head coverage, your water pressure, how much sun your lawn gets. You want to keep the ground moist all time, without puddles.

I am running my Rainbirds 7 minutes each (not each zone, each sprinkler, with head to head coverage) right now because the temps went up(today about 85 degrees), I am probably on the high side though. I was at 5 minutes last week when it was much cooler(about 70 degrees).
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ao81
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the info. I've been trying to just keep the ground damp at all times like you said, but I'll switch the times a bit, so I get more on the lawn later in the day to suffice throughout the night.

At what point can I switch to the once a week for 1" routine?
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eastpenna
16 years ago
I think it depends on the type of grass, KBG take longer to germinate, but here is a general guideline:

water 15-20 minutes twice a day for two weeks
water 20-30 minutes once a day for one week
water 30-45 minutes once a day every other day for one week
water 30-45 minutes once a day twice a week for one week
move into deep irrigation, increasing the time to provide 1 inch of water all over and decreasing the frequency to just once a week.

I am on day 28, and still at twice per day for two reasons. I planted 100% KBG and the temps are above normal. I will be going to once per day as soon as the temps drop.
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arden1963
16 years ago
if i was you i would start at 12 am,so it gives water plenty of time too soak in too soiland for each root of grass too get its fill,before sun comes up,i water mine like that,and mine is a carpet for 4 years straight,kentucky blue grass,all so in the afternoon,around 3 pm,just too cool off blades of grass,on the hot days,take a butter knife ,stick it in the ground about 4 inches and rip a straight line in soil,about 4 inches long,then pull back that section,and look at the soil at that depth ,if its moist then your watering good,if its dry then you need longer times,the top 1/2 inch might be dry from sun,but from that point below it should have moister.grass burns because the roots are low on water supply,a well watered root can keep a blade of grass green in a 100 degree temp,and keep the soil sweet,you can use ashes from a fire place,or lime, you can do that once a month,not a heavy coat,i have two fireplace in my home,i have plenty of ash,i sift it like flour, and broadcast it with a spreader,hope this info helps,im not a pro but,it works for me
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