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Hot take: I think everyone is wrong about how much water a new lawn really needs.
I was reading a local water district report from Sacramento last week and it said a new sod lawn needs about 30% less water in the first month than all the guides say. The guides push for daily deep watering, but the report had data from soil sensors showing the roots don't even go that deep yet, so a lot just evaporates. I tried it on my own new patch of fescue, watering every other day but for a bit longer, and it's actually greener than my neighbor's who waters every morning. I found the report online after getting a scary high water bill. It made me question all the standard advice you get at the garden center. Has anyone else cut back on new lawn water and had it work out okay?
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wesley_jones10d agoMost Upvoted
Seriously? That's wild. So you're basically saying we drown new grass because the advice ignores how shallow the roots are at first. My big question is about the timing though. Did that report say if you still need to water more often during a heat wave, or does the every-other-day rule hold up even when it's super hot out?
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torres.thea10d ago
The report basically said to stick with the schedule, which tracks with my own record of killing two lawns by being too helpful.
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