How often to water a new lawn from seed?
Lawn full lawn Reno with ETF, been watering 4x per day 6 mins.
This was yesterday soil moisture is good.
Just wondering at which point do I start reducing watering frequency?
Cheers in advance.
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Once seedlings are up and sitting around 10–20 mm like this, that's your cue to start pulling back. The roots are just beginning to push down, and you want them chasing moisture deeper, not hanging around at the surface.
Ease into it rather than cutting off abruptly:
While seed is germinating:
- Water lightly, but often: 3–4 times daily.
- Aim to keep the top 2–3cm damp, not soaked.
Once seedlings are up
- Reduce frequency: once daily, then every 2–3 days.
- Increase depth: water longer to push roots deeper.
Stretch the intervals gradually while increasing the depth of each soak. If you're on sandy or free draining soil, take it slower, moisture drops out of the rootzone faster and seedlings will stress quicker between waterings. If you're on more of a heavy soil that holds moisture your irrigation length might not need to be as long.
There's a guide on the website about this, that has some more information: https://www.newzealandlawnaddicts.com/lawn-tips/sowing-seed-soil-temps-irrigation/