A hose (watering cans just won't cut it)

A short section of pipe or a trowel (for taking a sample of your lawn's soil)

One watering a week; time depends on the size of yard andthe local humidity.

A thorough soaking: doing this once a week is much better for your lawn than several lighter sprinklings. A single, weekly watering forces the grass to grow longer, healthier roots.

Beware of overwatering: in the U.S., for example, lawns are typically over-watered by 30 percent or more. Considering how many folks water their lawns and how often, that's an enormous amount of water! Let's save some for our grandchildren.

2torial #0550: Learn2 Water Your Lawn The green, green grass of home... Everybody knows how to water a lawn: you just run a hose to the front yard and screw in the sprinkler, right? Not exactly. Learning what happens behind the scenes (or rather, beneath the scenes) will help you save water and will produce a healthier and more robust lawn. This short guide will give you some tips on the whole process. Test your yard to see what kind of soil it is. If a short section of pipe is available, use it to take a four to six inch sample of the earth. (Otherwise use a trowel.) Sandy soils are very porous, so you need to water them more often. Soils with a higher clay content retain moisture well and won't require as much attention. Know your lawn's needs Your lawn needs an inch of water per week to stay healthy-looking and green. If there isn't sufficient rain, take matters into your own hands with a sprinkler or hose. Test to see if your lawn is too dry: dig down 4 to 6 inches into the soil. If it's dry all the way down, it's time to start watering. In the summer heat, your lawn may turn brown. Despite common beliefs, you can actually leave off watering--wait for the autumn rains. Take a break from mowing, too. Grass goes into dormancy when its leaves dry out. But after a rejuvenating soak from Mother Nature or the sprinkler, it'll bounce back quickly. Learn the optimum watering times The best time to give your yard a good drink is the early morning or the late evening. This reduces water waste due to evaporation from the afternoon heat. Watering while the sun is out can require as much as four times the amount of water as it does during the cooler times of day. For optimum grass health, stick to early morning waterings. Giving your lawn a chance to dry off during the day reduces the possibility of fungus growth. Just add water... Water lightly and evenly. If you have a sprinkler, this will be taken care of for you. But if you use a hose, be careful not to flood a section of your yard. Watering quickly and heavily will not water the lawn properly. It only creates runoff and wastes a lot of water. Finish up Knowing when to stop is the key to saving water. Use a garden spade to check how far the water has penetrated into the soil. When your lawn is wet to a depth of 6 inches, that's plenty. -end- Learn More!