Are you Overwatering Your Lawn? 5 Signs to Watch Out For

If people are lining up in your driveway with fishing poles, you might be overwatering your lawn.

Sure, you could set up a lifeguard stand and make some extra dough offering swim lessons, but that seems extreme. 

How do you know if you’re overwatering your lawn?

Check out these signs:

First, Is There Really Such a Thing as Overwatering Your Lawn?

Absolutely. 

This is actually a common way to accidentally damage your lawn, especially in summer, when it’s sunny and hot and you’re tempted to give the poor thing extra drinks.

Be strong. When you water too often, it encourages shallow, needy roots — actually weakening your lawn. 

Too much water can cause the roots of your grass to rot, killing your lawn. 

Overwatering your lawn also prevents it from getting the oxygen it needs, causing it to suffocate.

Signs of Overwatering a Lawn

If those fishermen lining up at your house don’t convince you, watch for these other signs:

1. Runaway Runoff

If you see streams of water running off your lawn and down the sidewalk or street, that water obviously isn’t making it into your soil. Your lawn is so saturated, it can’t hold any more water. 

Meanwhile, that runoff is probably carrying away nutrients your lawn needs to thrive. And taking fertilizer and possibly other lawn chemicals with it, washing them into the storm sewer and your water supply. Not good.

2. A Spongy Lawn

Walk on your lawn in a few different areas. Does the turf feel spongy or squishy? You’re overwatering.

3. Fungus

Too much moisture can cause a variety of lawn diseases to show up, from straw-colored patches to brown spots to mushrooms sprouting. Icky fungal diseases are signs of overwatering a lawn.

4. Yellow Grass

Your lawn needs nutrients to get that deep green color you love. If all the fertilizer and nutrients are washed away by too much water, your grass will be pale and yellow.

5. Too Much Thatch

Thatch is a layer of partially decomposed plant material just underneath your grass. Normally, organisms in your soil break down the thatch, which provides great nutrients for the soil. 

But if you’re overwatering your lawn, those organisms can’t break down the thatch, so it builds up. 

Too much thatch can prevent oxygen from getting into the soil and creates the perfect habitat for damaging bugs.

Overwatering Your Lawn? Do This Instead

• Don’t think your grass needs watering every day. It doesn’t. Water too often, and it encourages shallow, needy roots. Water less often but deeply, and roots will grow deeper and healthier.
• Consider installing a smart irrigation system. Your sprinkler system will keep watering under control, watering just the right amount at the right times, without water waster. No more overwatering your lawn. 

Is Your Lawn Ready for a New Best Friend?

You have the best intentions for your grassy green friend, but mistakes happen, including overwatering your lawn. Idaho lawn care involves a lot, right? Watering, fertilizing, weed control, insect control. 

Why not leave it to us?

If you want simple, hassle-free lawn care in Idaho Falls or Boise, ID that offers quality core lawn care services for a healthy, impressive lawn, it doesn’t get easier than Lawn Buddies.

No stressing about which complicated combination of lawn care services will get you beautiful, healthy grass. 

You don’t have time to fuss with all that. Give yourself a break.

Welcome to one premium, six-visit lawn care program that includes everything your lawn needs to grow healthy and green.

Fertilizer, weed treatments, and grub control, all wrapped up in six visits, each perfectly timed throughout the season, so your grass is green and strong and resists weeds.

We’ve got your back. 

Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started.

Fill out the form on this page.
Call us at (208) 656-9131.
Or read more about our services.

Then kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.