To water or not to water! It’s a subject that neighbours and families disagree on. Every summer, the great grass debate wages on. I’m not going to judge. If you’re a non-waterer, you might learn something from my journey from waterer to non-waterer. If you’re on the other side,  I’ve got some lawn watering tips to help you do it wisely.

This post was originally published in July 2020 as “To water or not to water? The great grass debate” and updated in May 2023.

It happens at some point every summer—a long spell of hot, dry weather. After a week or two of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and no rain, it’s easy to identify the waterers and the non-waterers as you walk around the neighbourhood.

Many of us use a lot of water

According to this post by Hydro-Tech, the United States, Canada, England and Australia are among the top countries in the world in terms of water usage. Canadians use 329 litres of water every day, with two-thirds of it being used for personal hygiene in bathrooms.  

It’s hard to get numbers on how much of that household consumption relates to lawn watering. Most municipalities report that demand for water increases by 30-50% in the summer. I expect much of that can be attributed to keeping our grass green.

Who are the waterers?

According to Statistics Canada’s 2019 report on outdoor water usage by households, 43% of households with a lawn watered it in the previous summer. So just a little less than half of us are waterers. The rest of us are either into water conservation or we like the feel of straw under our feet.

Which side of the lawn watering debate do I fall on?

I grew up in the north of England in a neighbourhood where no-one had a lawn. The closest grass was in the cemetery on the other side of the street. When we were kids, that’s where we would go to play.

Now, if you’ve ever spent time in Lancashire, you’ll know that it rains…a lot. So even if we did have a lawn, watering would be unnecessary. Mother nature would regularly bless us with an overabundance of water.

When we moved to Canada, we experienced having a lawn for the first time. Maybe it was the novelty factor, but my Dad was so proud of his lawn. He would talk endlessly about his Kentucky bluegrass and how beautiful it was. Our sprinkler ran frequently, and that Kentucky bluegrass was very green.

After I moved out of my parents’ house, I lived in apartments. I didn’t give grass much thought for many years. Then, I married a non-waterer.

My husband grew up on a farm. Farmers don’t water their grass. That’s something “urbanites” or “cidiots” do! We’ve been married for 29 years and have never watered our lawn.

So, these days I’m firmly in the non-watering camp. Yes, we are the people with the yellow grass by late summer. According to Statistics Canada, we’re in the majority, although many of our neighbours are waterers. That makes our grass really stand out when we have a dry spell.

Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

Do you really need to water grass?

This is another question that’s really hard to get a straight answer to. It all depends on who you talk to.

Obviously, the answer is yes for newly planted grass. It needs regular watering to grow and survive.

For established lawns, this article says that cool-season grass like that infamous Kentucky bluegrass will go dormant without water but it can survive with no water up to six weeks. Two weeks of adequate moisture will revive dormant grass.

Sure enough, when we do finally get some rain after a hot, dry spell our lawn turns from yellow to green. Even in the driest of summers, our lawn always rebounds in the fall and looks good again in the spring.

So, my non-expert opinion is you don’t really need to water your grass. But you may want to if having a green lawn is a priority for you.

3 benefits of being a non-waterer

So, now that my husband has me firmly in the non-watering camp, here are some benefits I have identified.

• Save water. This one is obvious. Even in Canada where we have an abundance of fresh water, we should still be taking steps to conserve and not be water hogs. (See 10 ways you can use less water for more water conservation ideas.)
• Save time. Most of us don’t have automatic sprinkler systems so watering takes time. It also makes your grass grow more quickly which means you’ll have to cut it more often which also takes time.
• Save money. Unless you’re on a well, watering your lawn will increase your water bill. Cutting grass also uses energy if you use a gas or electric powered mower, which most of us do. That also costs money.

5 tips for smart lawn watering

If I haven’t convinced you to put the hoses and sprinklers away, here are some tips for smart lawn watering.

• Don’t water your lawn when it’s raining. This one might seem obvious but, it never ceases to amaze me when I see people running their sprinklers in the rain. If you have an automatic system, you can put a rain sensor on it so it knows when to water.
• Don’t water too much. Many municipalities restrict watering to once a week. Most lawns need one to two inches of water each week. If you’ve had that much rain, you can skip the watering, even if it’s your day. Buy an inexpensive rain gauge so you can see how much rain you’ve had. An easy way to measure your sprinkler output is to put some containers on your lawn and set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes. This will tell you how long you need to water to get to one to two inches.
• Position your sprinkler correctly so you are watering the lawn not the driveway, road or sidewalk.
• Water at the right time of day. The best time to water is early in the morning. If you water in the hot daytime sun, the water will evaporate meaning you’ll need to use more of it. Watering later in the evening is a good option if you’re not a morning person or don’t have time to water in the morning.
• If you’re not using an automated sprinkler system, set a timer when watering so you don’t forget to shut your sprinkler off.

I’m sure the great grass debate isn’t going away anytime soon. Whatever side of the lawn watering debate you’re on, be smart about it.

Do you water your grass? Tell us below!