Very beneficial rain helped to ease the extremely dry conditions in the southeastern part of the country this past weekend and really helped the fire situation in southern Georgia and northern Florida. But, other parts of the Southeast, particularly Alabama, northern Georgia and the western Carolinas, didn't get nearly as much rain, and concern continues throughout the area for longer term drought. There are some areas where voluntary water restrictions are in place, and others where restrictions are mandatory.

That raises the question of what is the best way, environmentally, to water your lawn. What might be the best time to water with the goal of conserving water and lowering your carbon footprint? Of course, we could all go with concrete, or synthetic turf, but then we'd miss all the oxygen that is produced by all of our lawns. I have seen articles written that say it is best to water your lawn in the morning, and I have also read articles that say it is better to water your lawn in the evening. The arguments go as follows.....

In general, winds are lighter and temperatures are lower in the morning. One argument to water in the morning is that if you water in the late afternoon or evening, the temperature is higher and the wind is stronger. Therefore, when you water later in the day, more water will evaporate on its way down to the ground, and more water will be blown from the area you want to water to the sidewalk, driveway or street, or other areas that you don't need to water. That obviously is a reason to water early in the day. However, I have also read that if you water in the morning, the water on the blades of grass can act as a magnifier and actually help to burn the blades of grass as the water evaporates. And, of course, if you water in the morning and it is sunny and it warms up quickly, some fraction of that water is going to evaporate and never get into the soil to help the grass.

As for the idea of watering in the late afternoon or evening, the negatives are as discussed above ... higher temperatures, more wind to blow the water and more evaporation. However, the positives are that as the sun sets, the wind and temperature will drop and the water that you spray is more likely to get into the ground and do the grass some good. However, I have also read that in some climates, watering the ground in the evening means water can sit on the grass and on the ground and lead to problems such as mold and rot.

Maybe one way to look at this issue is to think about when Mother Nature most often waters your lawn. Spring and summer showers are most likely in the afternoon and evening, and a good deal of thunderstorm activity occurs during the middle of the night. Rain, of course, does fall during the
late-night and morning hours, but it is less likely at those hours. I don't really know, and maybe you have some insights into the matter, but it seems to me that maybe Mother Nature is giving us a hint to water like she does ... in the afternoon and evening?????

If you would like to email me, please feel free to do so at sobel@accuweather.com

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