Are you planting new grass seed for your lawn? The most critical step of developing your new lawn is knowing how often to water your new grass seed. We’ll help you get started with watering new grass seed and all the other considerations you’ll need to account for.
Be sure to do your proper research on how to water grass seed before you start. Some of the critical considerations happen before you even head to the store to pick out and pick your seed.
You’ll save time, money, and headache by developing a game plan before you get started.
Understanding when and how to water your grass seed will help you deliver the best results. Don’t be discouraged.
Finding the right balance of knowing when to water, how much, the best time, and how often is a trial and error process. It’s important to note that the exact recipe is specific to your location, weather, soil, water, etc.
First things first, make sure your grass seed is still good!
How Often to Water New Grass Seed?
In general, you should water your new grass seed 2 to 3 times per day for approximately 5 to 10 minutes for each session (approx. 15 minutes to 30 minutes total per day).
This schedule will vary based on several factors: outdoor temperature, direct sunlight, type of seed, and type of soil.
Remember, while germinating the seeds, the goal is to keep the top 1 to 2 inches of soil moist throughout the day but not flooded. Keeping the soil moist will keep the grass seed moist as well.
Before you run to go turn on your sprinklers, you should read the rest of this article. There are some of the other things you’ll need to consider for your new grass seed!
For the best success, you’ll need to consider the watering and care required before, during, and after the germination process. But, don’t worry, we’ll walk you through each step – keep reading!
Getting Started with New Grass Seed
The most common mistake people make is that they flood their seeded area with tons of water. However, having an unregulated and uncontrolled sprinkler system that provides a lot of water can be very problematic. Here are a few things to keep in mind when putting those new grass seeds to use.
Overwatering
Overwatering can bring a host of diseases that can kill your seeds and start to infect your soil.
It’s important to go easy with the water volume but on the other hand, make sure you’re providing enough water for your grass seed. You’ll kill the germination process if you let your grass seeds dry up.
Focus on finding the right balance between frequency and water amount that fits both the weather conditions, soil conditions, and type of grass seed. Know the difference between a warm-season grass and cold-season grass.
To get the best results, you’ll need to carefully monitor the amount of water you’re providing along with the naturally occurring moisture the grass seed is getting.
Germination
Every seed requires a specific temperature range and moisture before the germination process begins. While looking to germinate, remind yourself that consistency is key.
It can be tempting to try to make changes to increase the speed of the germination process, but abrupt changes in watering and care will likely stress your young seeds out and cause them to die.
Germination can last anywhere from 5 to 30 days, depending on the seed type, be it cool-season grasses or warm-season grasses. It is common for cool-season grasses to take even longer than this.
As soon as you start seeing new grass sprouts, it means that the grass seed roots are beginning to develop in the soil underground. At that point, the grass is less vulnerable and more resilient.
Some seeds are buried at different depths or take longer to germinate, so it’s essential to keep the entire area moist even after your first seeds start sprouting. Germination requirements for grass seed ranges based on type of seed and climate.
Before Seeding Your Lawn
Best Time of the Year to Seed My Lawn?
Fall is generally the best time to seed your lawn. The moderate temperatures of fall are ideal for seed germination. In addition, you’ll have an easier time keeping your seeds moist with the heat of summer behind you.
Going into winter with a freshly established lawn usually results in a beautiful lawn come the following spring.
Depending on your local climate, you can also sow your seeds in the spring. The spring temperatures are generally moderate, similar to fall, and will allow your new grass seed to perform well. You’ll just have to monitor your soil moisture more closely.
How Much Grass Seed Do I Need?
In general, you’ll need approximately 1 pound of grass seed per 100 square feet if you’re installing a new lawn and 0.5 pounds of grass seed per 100 square feet if you’re adding to an existing lawn.
Make sure you have relatively loose soil before you plant so that the seeds can mix well with the soil and grass seedlings take root.
However, this can vary based on where you live and the type of grass seed you plan to use.
Not putting enough seed could leave your lawn thin and bare but adding too much grass seed could make it difficult for your seeds to compete for limited resources (sunlight, water, etc.). This is why it is vital to research buying and placing the correct amount of seed.
Use this Grass Seed Calculator from Lowe’s to help you determine how much seed you’ll need. It even helps you determine how much grass seed you’ll need based on your growing zone and grass seed type.
Using the calculator, I found that I would need 0.8 lbs of grass seed to re-establish a 150 sq. ft segment of the Perennial Ryegrass in my yard. I would need more seed for larger areas and less seed for smaller areas.
Water Your Soil Before You Seed
Start watering before you seed your lawn. Ensuring your soil is moist before the seeds get planted is a crucial step that many people skip.
Watering before seeding helps create natural moisture deep in the soil, making the growing conditions more inviting.
Start watering the soil up to 7 days before planting seeds in your lawn. You don’t need to water every day when you’re prepping for the seed, but you should water 2 to 3 times during the week before spreading the seed.
You’ll want to make sure the soil is moist to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. You can perform a screwdriver test to check whether you’re overwatering or underwatering.
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources agrees that watering before you seed your lawn is a great way to facilitate excellent results.
If you plan to use compost, you can spread some of it during this process before you seed. As you water the soil and compost, the nutrient-rich compost with blend with topsoil and help create a great environment for the new grass seed.
After Seeding Your Lawn
Once you sowed the grass seeds, you will need to provide consistent watering.
How Often Should I Water My New Grass Seed?
As a general rule of thumb, you should water your new grass seed 2 to 3 times per day for approximately 5 to 10 minutes for each session (approx. 15 minutes to 30 minutes total per day).
However, this can vary significantly based on your specific location, soil type, and soil conditions.
Remember, while germinating the seeds, the goal is to keep the top 1 to 2 inches of soil moist throughout the day, but don’t flood it.
You don’t want to let your lawn get soggy or see any standing water. Standing water will end up damaging your seeds and killing the germination process.
If possible, water your grass seed on an as-needed basis. After your first watering, check the soil moisture every two hours to ensure that the top inch of soil is adequately hydrated.
Never let the topsoil dry out to the surface. Once the topsoil moisture is about 1-inch deep, do another watering for 5 to 10 minutes.
Most of us will not be home all day to check on our soil, so it’s best to develop your yard-specific watering schedule.
Perform A Watering Test
To find out the best watering schedule for your specific lawn, you should perform a test watering trial on your day off.
- Water your lawn with your sprinkler system for 5 to 10 minutes (morning).
- Make sure the top few inches of the topsoil are moist (can perform screwdriver test).
- If the top few inches are not moist after watering, you’ll know you need to water for a longer period.
- Check your soil moisture every 2 hours.
- Water again for 5 to 10 minutes when you notice the soil moisture extends only 1 to 2 inches deep (afternoon).
- Based on your findings, develop the appropriate watering schedule for your lawn. Adjusting both the amount of time watering and the times of the day.
Summary of Watering Frequency
In general, you’ll only need to water your new grass seed twice per day unless you have extreme weather conditions – once in the morning and again in mid-afternoon.
You may need to water three times per day in places where you get high temperatures or long periods of direct sunlight. But again, your best bet is to use some trial and error to see what watering schedule is ideal for your specific lawn.
Once you have a fully established lawn, you’ll need to change your watering schedule. Your frequency of watering will change, as you will need to water less often. So, you’ll only water a few times per week, but you’ll do longer and deeper watering periods.
TIP: If you are adding seed to an existing lawn, follow the instructions above with some occasional deep watering to maintain the established grass.
What Time of the Day Should I Water My Grass Seed?
The general guideline for watering your fully established lawn is to water early in the morning. Experts say it’s a good idea to start watering at the coolest times of the day.
The same applies to watering your grass seed as well.
An early morning watering will allow the water to penetrate and moisten the soil before the direct sun starts to evaporate the water.
If you only water in the afternoon, the sun will often evaporate much of the water on the surface before it gets a chance to make its way into the soil.
So why not water at night then? Good question. Watering and leaving your lawn wet overnight means an extended period of dampened conditions leading to lawn diseases.
So, watering in the morning is usually the sweet spot. The morning water will have enough time to penetrate the soil, and any excess water can be burned off by the sun later in the day (preventing disease).
But keep in mind, for grass seed, we need to water multiple times a day! Therefore, our watering schedule recommendation is as follows:
- Perform first watering in the morning (before 9 am).
- Perform second watering in the afternoon (between 1 pm to 4 pm).
- If necessary, perform an additional watering in the late afternoon or early evening between (4 pm to 6 pm) (only required for extreme climates/conditions).
Provide Continual Care
Once your seeds have begun to root and sprout, you have good reason to celebrate. But the job is just getting started! Freshly rooted grass sprouts are incredibly delicate.
Slowly Increase Watering Times
As the grass seed continues to root and germinate, you’ll gradually want to provide deeper watering to the establishing roots.
Monitor the seedbed. If you’re still waiting for most of the seeds to sprout, then keep watering for short lengths twice per day.
If the majority of your seeds have sprouted to a couple of inches in height, then start scaling back the number of times you water per week and slowly moving to scheduled watering for an established lawn (typically 2 to 3 times per week, for about 30 minutes each).
In general, keep in mind that you’re trying to water as deep as your grass’ roots need. So as your grass roots go deeper, you’ll want to provide deeper (longer) watering sessions but less frequently.
Once your lawn is fully established, you’ll want to provide about an inch of water per week for your lawn.
Keep Off!
Seriously, one of the worst things you can do to your newly sprouted grass seed is to walk all over it. Keep family and pets off of the grass for at least a month after sowing the seeds. The longer you minimize foot traffic, the better.
Maintenance
Remember, it takes some effort to keep your lawn looking green and healthy, but it’s well worth the effort. Check out our article on How to Keep Your Lawn Green and Healthy for maintenance tips once your lawn is established.
Additional Tips to Keep in Mind
- Patching existing lawns. If adding seed to an established lawn, you’ll need to provide specialized attention to the planted area. If the rest of your established lawn is performing well, be sure to keep your lawn on that established watering schedule. Provide manual, supplemental watering as-needed to the patches with new grass seed.
- Sloped yards. If you have a sloped yard, it’s helpful to reduce the watering time and repeat watering more often. Providing too much water on a sloped yard can lead to seed movement and run-off and puddled areas. An alternative option is using a little mulch over your seeds.
- Shaded areas. Shady areas need less water than areas with direct sunlight. You may need to mix in manual watering for patches of your lawn that get direct sunlight.
- Pay attention to soil type. Some soil types can take a lot of time to dry out. Adobe or clay soils are known for retaining water well. Get to know your soil so that you can manage your lawn appropriately.
- Invest in a good lawn sprinkler system. If you want an even, healthy lawn, you want to go with a lawn irrigation system with a water timer and automated features. Yes, you will need to invest more, but it will keep your lawn healthy in the long run. Oscillating sprinklers can be a great pick if you want to cover large areas, especially if water run-off is a concern.
- Moss or algae. Moss and algae (or other lawn diseases) are usually a sign of too much moisture. When you see these appear, you want to decrease the watering length and frequency.
Final Thoughts: How Often to Water New Grass Seed
Lawn care is hard. There’s no denying that planting and maintaining a newly seeded lawn can take a lot of trial and error.
But trust us, it’s completely worth the lush grass you’ll have on your lawn within a few months. (See if artificial grass is a better option for you!)
You’ll need to develop a plan to ensure your new grass seed receives all the necessary water it needs to grow and survive.
We recommend you take your time and read any documentation regarding the specific grass seed type you plant to use, as you may need to follow specific guidelines.
With that in mind, using our tips should give you everything you need to get out there to plant your new grass seed!