The Spruce / Jacob Fox
A lush lawn carpeted with thick grasscan be the envy of the neighborhood.
It is not only attractive but also an area of the yard that will be bristling with activity.
We cut across the lawn to get to the mailbox.
The Spruce / Jacob Fox
Our children play on the lawn, as do our pets.
Only a healthy lawn can stand up to all that activity.
So give a shot to get your lawn off to a healthy start.
In this article you will learn how often you should water new grass seed.
Grass seed used to overseed a lawn should be watered about 1 to 2 inches per week.
Want more gardening tips?
Overseeding
Why overseed a healthy lawn?
Overseeding gives you a thicker lawn.
The more thickly your grass grows, the better chance you have of crowding out weeds.
attempt to overseed one to two times per year.
What Is Overseeding?
Overseeding means casting grass seed on top of existing grass.
Overseeding can both revitalize struggling lawns and prevent lush ones from declining in health.
If you furnish more water than that, you risk overwatering the existing grass.
Moreover, such seed will not need as much water, because the existing grass will shade it some.
Water a couple of times a day rather than all at once so that the soil stays evenly moist.
Providing proper drainage and nutrients is part of that preparation, but so is watering.
You might wonder why you are watering soil that does not even have anything planted in it yet.
But grass seed will sprout better and faster in soil that has been pre-moistened.
So as part of your soil preparation, gently water the soil with the spray nozzle of your hose.
Your goal is to make at least the top 3 inches of soil evenly moist.
Aftersowing the grass seed, give it 3 to 4 inches of water per week.
By distributing the irrigation, you avoid overwatering, which is as bad as underwatering.
But after germination, start irrigating less often, providing more water each time.
Overwatering can lead to rot.
Letting it go a whole day without water is not advised unless you are having a rainy day.
Different grasses take different amounts of time to sprout, ranging from 5 to 30 days.
The UC Guide to Healthy Lawns.University of California Integrated Pest Management.
