The Ideal Summer Watering Schedule to Keep Your Gardens and Grass Thriving

You probably see a wide range of potential watering schedules wandering around your neighborhood—from the guy who runs his sprinkler over his neon green lawn every day (and twice on Sundays) to the person whose sagging hydrangeas are practically begging for a drop of moisture. So what exactly is the ideal summer watering schedule for your garden—and how does that change if you have heavy summer storms or a lot of brand new landscaping?

Here’s everything you need to know to determine your ideal summer watering schedule. So say goodbye to scorched lawns and brown flowers—or high water bills.

Design your summer watering schedule based on your plants.

Watering twice a week during the hotter months should keep your lawn and gardens looking good, says landscape design expert Cate Singleton. But there are some parts of your garden that may need more help than that. For instance, if you have newly resodded or seeded lawns, new trees or plantings that aren’t established, or plants in containers, they may need a daily water (or even twice daily, if it’s a plant in a small container), especially when the weather is scorching hot.

However, if you’ve chosen mostly native plants and live in a more arid environment, you may be able to water far less often, as the plants are used to long stretches without water. So if you’ve planted a succulent garden in the desert southwest, you may need to water only once every 10 days during the summer, and only once or twice a month during the cooler months.

Put plants together that have similar watering needs.

When you’re planning out your landscaping, try to keep plants with similar watering requirements together. You’ll want to choose drought-resistant plants like rosemary and lavender close together, and water-loving plants like bee balm and butterfly weed in another spot. That way, you can give each plant type the right amount of water—and not have to worry about stressing out your plants with either too much or too little.

Measure how much water your sprinkler produces.

Your grass and your garden will need about an inch of water per week to thrive (and that includes water from rain, too!). However, scorching temperatures, breezy weather, and sunny days during the week may mean your plants will need additional water to make up for anything that’s lost to evaporation.

To make sure you don’t over- or under-water your garden, put several cans or containers (tuna cans work great) in several spots along your sprinkler’s path, according to the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Measure the amount of water that falls into each can during a 20-minute period with a ruler, and average the amount between your cans to determine how much water your sprinkler produces in 20 minutes.

Depending on how effective your sprinkler system is, you might be able to hit a half-inch (the amount you’d need to water per session if you water twice per week) in just 15 to 20 minutes of watering—or you may need to hit an hour or more to reach the goal water amount.

Water at the right time of day.

Your plants will be able to get the most out of every drop you schedule your watering sessions for either early morning or early evening. That way, the water can reach the roots before the sunshine burns it away. “Early morning watering is the most effective, due to the lower temperatures creating less evaporation,” Singleton says.

Water the soil, not the foliage.

Sprinklers tend to get water everywhere, including on the plant’s foliage. But a more ideal watering solution would be using drip or soaker hoses, which can wind through your gardens and deliver water directly to the roots. (That reduces both evaporation and water waste.)

Master gardener Theresa Rooney says another issue with indiscriminate watering is the potential of creating a new problem with your garden—mildew or fungal infections on your plants, including powdery mildew. This can be an especially big problem if you water in the evening, so excess moisture sits on the leaves all night long.

Follow any local watering restrictions.

Many regions that are more prone to drought institute watering restrictions during the summer, so make sure that you have researched your local municipalities watering standards. Many places will have specific days for watering based on your address or zip code, Singleton says.

Use smart gardening strategies to reduce plant stress.

If you can’t keep up with your summer watering schedule because you’re away on vacation or you’re in an area facing drought, there’s a lot you can do to minimize the damage to your plants.

• Use plenty of mulch: Not only does mulch help prevent water from evaporating from the soil, it also reduces the number of weeds that invade your garden and take precious water away from your plants.
• Go easy on the fertilizer If your plants are stressed: When you’re stressed or not feeling well, you don’t want a heavy meal, Rooney says—and neither do your plants. So skip the high dose fertilizer and go with something light if your plants are feeling the heat.
• Move containers to minimize evaporation: Stick them in a slightly shadier spot when the weather’s particularly hot to help them retain water.
• Let your lawn grow longer: Mowing can stress out your grass—and the longer strands of grass can help shield the soil and ensure it stays moist longer.