When should I cut back on watering?

Zone 6a here. I planted some Kentucky bluegrass 12 days ago, and the grass is starting to come up! I’ve been watering 2-3 times a day to keep the soil moist. There are still some patches that haven’t sprouted yet, and it’s going to be in the 80s tomorrow, so I’ll keep up the watering for now. (I’ve also got a lot of rocks and sticks to clean up still.)

My question is, should I keep watering this much for a few more weeks, or should I start cutting back once the grass gets a little more established?

According to K-State Research and Extension:

Once the grass starts growing, increase the time between watering but apply more water each time.

When the seedlings are 1 inch tall, water every other day and apply about 1/4 inch of water each time.

By the second week after full germination, water every third day with 1/2 inch of water. After that, 1 inch of water every 5-7 days should be enough.

Here’s the full guide: https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/download/watering-new-lawns_MF2802

Once the grass has come up, keep it moist during hot weather in full sun, but soon you can switch to watering 1 inch a week or every 5 days or so. Add a little misting on hot days to keep the small grass from drying out. Put a cake pan out when you water—once there’s an inch of water in the pan, you’re good for the week.

@Zhen
The good thing about watering less often is that you also help prevent weeds from sprouting. Plus, letting the soil dry a bit between watering helps prevent disease.

Zhen said:
@Zhen
The good thing about watering less often is that you also help prevent weeds from sprouting. Plus, letting the soil dry a bit between watering helps prevent disease.

Yep, I learned this the hard way. My lawn got fungus because it didn’t dry out enough. Can’t stress that enough.

@Jael
Same here. First-time homeowner and learning as I go. How did you fix it?

Zander said:
@Jael
Same here. First-time homeowner and learning as I go. How did you fix it?

I had to reseed after the grass died, and I used a ton of fungicide. Now I’m planning to keep the grass shorter and water less frequently to avoid this again.

Don’t overdo it. At this stage, once a day should be enough to keep the grass moist.

I’d say give it another week or two of regular watering. Once the grass grows tall enough to mow, you can scale back the watering to encourage deeper root growth.

Here’s a tip from Nilesandstuff’s guide to overseeding:

When you see consistent germination, start cutting back on the watering frequency and increase the duration of each watering.

  • When the grass is 1 inch tall, water 1 or 2 times a day.
  • When it’s 2 inches tall, water once a day, preferably in the morning.
  • By the first mow, you can switch to every other day.
  • After the second mow, you can stick with every other day until the grass goes dormant.

Keep watering every day for a while, especially in the heat.

I’m new to this, but is planting in Zone 6A this late in October a good idea?

Lyle said:
I’m new to this, but is planting in Zone 6A this late in October a good idea?

I’m in Zone 6A (Nebraska), and I seeded 11 days ago. My tall fescue is about an inch tall, but I haven’t seen the Kentucky bluegrass yet. Today it’s 90°F, but Monday’s low might hit 32°F. Hopefully being in the city will help keep the temperatures up a little overnight. It’s been a weird year.

Lyle said:
I’m new to this, but is planting in Zone 6A this late in October a good idea?

I’m in 6A too, and I put my seed down last weekend. Not too worried, though, since it’s going to be in the upper 80s for the next week.

@Gray
Yeah, different parts of Zone 6A have different weather! I won’t be seeing any 80s again this year.

Lyle said:
I’m new to this, but is planting in Zone 6A this late in October a good idea?

It’s a little late, but October has been warmer than usual this year. Tomorrow will be in the 80s, and the rest of the month looks like highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s.

Would’ve been better to start a couple of weeks earlier, but hopefully the grass will be established enough to make it through the winter.

@Ellis
Got it. My area has a low of 33°F coming soon, so I figured I’d ask. No more 80s for me!

I’d start by lightly raking all the debris out of the soil.

Lane said:
I’d start by lightly raking all the debris out of the soil.

Yeah, I used pretty cheap soil, and now the rocks and sticks are more noticeable after watering. I’ve been clearing them from the edges, but I want to wait a couple more weeks before walking on the new grass to clean up the middle. Even then, I’ll have to rake very lightly.

Just think about where the roots are right now—they’re probably not even an inch deep yet. Keep the soil wet a couple of inches down. You can pull up a seedling carefully to check. Once the crown is more developed, you can start watering less often but deeper.