How to Water Grass in Colorado 

  • Proper watering is critical to your lawn’s health and vigor. Deep and infrequent watering is the best practice. This means wetting the soil to a depth of 3-5 inches per irrigation. 
  • The best time to water grass is during the morning rather than in the afternoon or evening. Do not separate the watering into morning and evening either. 
  • Let the grass determine the watering frequency. See how long your lawn can go without water and set a program based on that, rather than a predetermined schedule. This will help conserve water to use only as needed. 

Seasonal Lawn Watering Schedule for Colorado Homeowners

How Long to Water Grass 

  • Colorado soils are a mixture of clay, sand, or a combination of both. To reduce water runoff and to help water penetrate and soak deeply into the soil, we recommend a “Cycle and Soak” watering schedule. Instead of watering for a long period of time and allowing the water to run off into the street, divide the total watering time per zone by 3.
    • For example, instead of watering a zone for a solid 45 minutes, try breaking it up into 3 different start times of 15 minutes. “Cycle and Soak” is the best approach to eliminating runoff and waste. 
  • Measure your water output to determine if you are over or under-watering based on the time of year, and the recommendations below. This is a very important step in a good watering program. 
  • Actual runtimes vary from yard to yard. A good baseline would be 20 – 30 minutes per zone for popups, 40 – 50 minutes for Rotor heads, and longer for low-impact MP Rotors. 
  • During the hotter months of the year, the grass will require more water to prevent heat and drought stress. That may mean ¾” of irrigation at a time rather than the ½” of irrigation typically required in the cooler months. This means wetting the soil to a depth of 4-6 inches per irrigation. 

Other Watering Tips for Your Colorado Lawn and Landscape Plants 

  • Water at times of low wind. 
  • Water too late in the afternoon can result in waste and evaporation. Watering grass in the evening can leave the lawn damp overnight, which can encourage lawn diseases. 
  • Water less in shaded or poorly drained areas. 
  • Do not water every day or two. Frequent, short watering encourages shallow roots, unhealthy grass and plants, and leaves turf susceptible to drought, weeds, and disease. 
  • Water newer trees using soaker hoses or direct hose drips once every couple of weeks.