# When should you stop watering your lawn? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905 "2022-10-07T16:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/21 "2022-10-09T14:02:15Z")
Just blew ours out in Bozeman on Wednesday. It’s going to be warm for at least the next week, but that will change eventually. Going to put my snow tires on next week, too. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/22 "2022-10-09T14:12:44Z")
There’s so much “grass” (much of it is wild violets and non-bluegrass perennial “weed” species) that it would be fantastically expensive to try to water it. It’s allowed to go dormant when dry and revive with the rains. I’ve been laboriously dragging hoses around to water young trees and shrubs, as well as the perennial garden. Even hard frost which we’ve avoided to date won’t stop root systems from growing and needing water. There hasn’t been any significant rain in central KY for close to a month now. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/23 "2022-10-09T14:16:32Z")
I live on a hill. I’ve never blown out anything. I unhook the connections, and leave the hoses to drain for at least an hour, then i cap them for the winter so critters and bugs don’t crawl inside. But I’d follow whatever instructions came with the irrigation system. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/24 "2022-10-09T17:42:00Z")
Hoses? I was talking about an inground irrigation system. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2022, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/25 "2022-10-09T18:18:39Z")
Good advice. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2022, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/26 "2022-10-09T18:42:25Z")
I’m having my lawn winterized tomorrow. Final cut of the year, supplements spread, irrigation system checked, etc… This is about a week or two earlier than we normally do it but I’ve heard of frost coming and there is little sign of an Indian Summer this year. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2022, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/27 "2022-10-09T19:20:38Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Good advice. Thanks. The main concern is the mainlines from the water source to the valves that feed that individual zones. A properly designed system will have drains on that which should also drain the manifold that your valves for the different zones are hooked to. Of couse you have to turn off the water input to the mainline first. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2022, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/28 "2022-10-09T19:55:46Z")
I have an in ground irrigation system. You can call the mains polypropylene pipes, instead of hoses, if you like. I buried them myself. The pipes branch in places, but they all exit the ground, near an external manifest, in three things that look rather like hoses. Because the system is all uphill from the water supply, i just unscrew the three connectors, let them drain for a while, and close them off. I highly recommend [DripWorks](https://www.dripworks.com/), from whom i bought the components. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/29 "2022-10-10T14:12:24Z")
Minnesota - I never understood watering grass. It’s just going to make it grow more and in turn it will have to be mowed more. Our lawn has always survived even in hot, extra dry summers. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/30 "2022-10-10T14:31:51Z")
If I didn’t water my lawn all summer, by mid-June, it would be covered with ugly brown spots that would eventually cover the entire property. That may be okay for your neighborhood, but with large houses with expansive grounds around me, I don’t want to be the only person in my neighborhood that doesn’t water their lawn. Besides, what’s the point of having a lawn if you don’t want to keep it looking nice and green? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/31 "2022-10-10T14:43:55Z")
It prevents erosion, keeps down the mud, and is comfortable to walk on. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/32 "2022-10-11T06:07:25Z")
I’m in Western Canada, north of Montana/North Dakota. I get my lawn sprinklers blown out during the first week of October although so far, October has for the most part been well above normal temps. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905/33 "2022-10-12T03:35:24Z")
Thanks, Mallard. Since the weather has been so nice lately (mid-60s) I decided to stop watering, blow out my lines, and get it over with. We’re expecting a week of frost starting any day so now I don’t have to worry about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-stop-watering-your-lawn/972905.md?page=1)