Growing a new lawn from grass seed requires a lot of care, but it is not as hard as you might think.
One of the most confusing aspects of growing grass seed is how much water it should receive for the germination process to be successful.
After all, too little water leads to your grass seedlings dying off, but too much can lead to root rot and other fungal issues.
It will take roughly a month for a seed to develop into grass if you wish to reseed your lawn.
During the germination stage, the seeds must be constantly irrigated. Grass seeds should be irrigated regularly in the early stages of development after planting.
If your grass seeds dry up after planting and watering, their germination will be disrupted, and this will be irreparable.
Because the seeds need to stay wet to sprout and grow correctly, the ideal plan is to water them twice or three times every day for at least four weeks.
Fortunately, some general guidelines can help you figure out how often to water your type of seed.
Once you understand the basic needs of your new lawn, you will be prepared to provide the proper amount of water and get the best results!
Water Can Help Them To Grow
For your new seed to grow it requires soil moisture. But you don’t want to water it too much or too little.
The seed needs to be moist, not wet, and not soggy.
It’s also important not to let the soil dry out completely before watering again; if it does dry out, resow more seeds so you have a thicker layer of turf when they germinate.
Do You Always Have to Water Grass Seed
Watering grass seed is helpful, but it is not mandatory. Germinating grass seed will happen on its own with or without water.
In the early stage, if you water the grass seed, it will germinate faster than if you do not water it.
If you want to grow new grass in large areas that have been dormant for a long time or where there was no life before (like after a construction project), watering the seeds helps them to sprout at just the best time of year and in just the right place.
How Does Temperature Affect Grass Seed?
The warmer the weather conditions, the more often your seed should be watered. This is due to the soil temperatures going up.
If it is too cold to water, then you will have to wait until it warms up before the next watering session.
If it is too hot to water, then you will have to wait until it cools down before watering again.
Avoid Overwatering Your Lawn
Do not overwater your lawn.
Overwatering can cause disease and fungus problems in the grass, and it will cause the grass roots to grow too deeply into the ground.
It will also cause the roots to spread out over a wider area, which makes them more susceptible to drying out during hot weather.
Finally, overwatering can cause water to rise through the loose soil as well as sink down into it—this is called capillary action—and this may lead to roots growing near or on top of your lawn’s surface, where they are more likely to dry out completely if you don’t water them regularly
Does Grass Seed Need a lot of Water?
Grass seed does not need a lot of water to germinate successfully.
When you first plant your grass seed, it will require some moisture to get the process started.
After that, however, you should be able to maintain the grass with far less watering than the normal amount required for other types of plants.
However, if your climate is very hot and dry (like Phoenix), then you may have to water your seeds more often than someone who lives in a more temperate area (like Seattle).
Another way is to target watering in the late afternoon or early morning.
How to Choose the Best Grass Type for your Lawn
When deciding on grass for your lawn, it’s important to choose the ones that will do well in your climate and site location.
How much full sun or shade the area has affected the grass. Once you’ve narrowed it down to options that live up to these criteria then now factor in your household needs.
Your family including adults, kids, and even pets have to be considered.
The most crucial factor is how well the grass you choose can survive the intended use of the yard. How much human or animal traffic or if you will have vehicles occasionally moving across it.
The first thing you have to think about is sunlight. Is there enough sunlight in your yard to sustain types that don’t tolerate shade that well?
The second consideration is whether your local climate conditions favor warm-season or cool-season turf varieties.
Also, you will have to look at whether you want to plant grass seed or have sod installed for an instant lawn.
Common Types of Grass
Here’s a quick look at what grass types are commonly grown in the U.S.
Warm-Season Grasses
Ideal conditions for warm-season grasses are warm climates. They also manage to thrive in a poor soil type with low water-retention capabilities.
When they dry out they can be collected and used as hay. They don’t do so well in shady areas.
Even though they tend to be hardy grasses their main growth phase is mid-summer. They require enough water and sometimes fertilizer during the first couple of weeks.
It’s also important that you select grass that is suitable for your land and climatic conditions so that your healthy lawn looks lush green throughout the year.
Cool-Season Grasses
Cool-season grasses are built to handle cooler climates with larger fluctuations in temperature throughout the year.
Think extremes from blazing hot at one time to icy cold. They manage to survive through those cold winters and can even resist extreme weather much better than warm-season grasses can.
These grasses are in their element growing in a temperature range of 60 to 75 °F.
This is why it’s a good idea to target planting them in spring and fall. This type of grass makes up the major ones used in the US.
But make sure to look into which one suits your region specifically. Check out this site for their handy zoning map to help you in that regard.
How Often to Water Grass Seed After Planting
You should water newly planted grass every day if the weather is above 80 degrees.
Every other day is a good routine if temperatures are cooler. Before the seeds germinate, get the top inch of the soil wet.
However, as soon as the grass seed germinates and begins to grow then reduce the frequency of watering but make it more thorough so it gets to those deep roots.
When your new grass is about two inches tall then adjust your watering schedule to once or twice per week. But water until at least three inches in depth is completely moist soil.
Once your grass is finally flourishing and spreading then you might not need your irrigation system anymore.
This is unless there is a lengthy period of drought. For established lawns, it’s always best to water intermittently but very deeply.
Target watering your lawn in the early morning to reduce the risk of fungal diseases.
Conclusion
In conclusion, grass seeds will survive without being watered for up to three months. That’s quite a large amount of time.
But if you’re trying to germinate it, your best bet is to water it daily until the sprouts appear.
If this isn’t working out for you, try using a sprinkler system so that your lawn gets an even amount of water every day.
We hope you now have a better idea of what to expect when growing grass seeds.
Whether for a new lawn or adding more grass to your existing lawn. If you have any queries feel free to leave them below. We are always happy to help!
