Watering New Grass Seed to Create the Perfect Lawn

You’ve taken the time, money and effort to seed your lawn with new grass. Now what?

A proper watering schedule can easily turn your new lawn into the lush green grass you’ve always wanted. Watering new grass seed is a simple process that only requires a small investment of time.

How Often to Water New Grass Seed

Before you cast out new grass seed, it’s important to start with watering. Nature designed seeds to respond to moisture, so it makes perfect sense that watering grass seed properly is imperative to kick-start the germination process that results in healthy growth.

1. 1. Several days before planting your new seed, water the area to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.

Measuring the depth of water penetration is easy! Simply insert a long screw driver into the ground. If it pushes down 6 to 8 inches without much resistance, you have the proper water saturation.

1. 1. Water new grass seed for 5 to 10 minutes immediately after planting to gently moisten the first several inches of soil.

You’ll want to maintain moisture in the seeding area from this point on. Remember that if the seeds are allowed to dry out, they will die.

1. 1. How often to water new grass seed really depends on the amount of rainfall your region will get after seeding.

If you’re not receiving any rainfall, you’ll want to water new grass seed twice per day until the top couple inches of soil are moist.

Best Time to Water New Grass Seed

The best time to water grass seed is in the morning and evening. These are the coolest parts of the day, which allows water to absorb into the ground instead of evaporating. A water timer can simplify the process of when to water grass seeds, so you can easily and efficiently water your newly seeded lawn with no hassle at all.

How to water new grass seed depends on the area you’ve seeded. Large areas can benefit from the use of a quality rectangular sprinkler. Use a small spot sprinkler for smaller seeded areas.

How Long to Water New Grass Seed

How long to water new grass seed depends on your soil conditions and your sprinkler setup. In general, ten minutes of watering per session (morning and evening) will provide enough water to keep the top couple inches of soil moist.

As your new grass seed grows and flourishes, you can water deeper and less frequently – this will encourage established grass roots to extend deeply into the soil. When watering grass seedlings, gradually increase your morning watering sessions over time, while decreasing your evening watering. Eventually, you’ll want to water between 6 and 10 am, while the weather is still cool. An established lawn typically requires about 1 inch of water per week, including rainfall.

Use the chart below to help you plan out your ideal watering schedule:

How Long Does Grass Seed Take to Grow?

How long it will take for your new grass seed to begin to grow really depends on where you live, your climate and what type of grass you plant. It can take anywhere between 3 and 28 days for new grass seed to begin to grow.

A beautiful, vibrant lawn not only looks great, but it also provides a place for you and your family to play, relax and enjoy. A consistent water schedule for watering new grass seed is key to making sure you’re growing a healthy, lush green lawn that will give you years of enjoyment and beauty.