We Handle Everything Except This
Monster Property Services mows your lawn, trims your edges, blows your walkways, cleans up your leaves, and maintains your property from April through November. But there's one thing we can't do for you: watering.
Our contract explicitly states that irrigation is the property owner's responsibility (Section 14.2, for those who read the fine print). This isn't us dodging work. There's a real reason watering has to stay in your hands.
Why Monster Can't Water Your Lawn
Three practical reasons:
- We're not on-site daily. Lawn care visits happen weekly. Watering needs to happen two to three times per week during dry periods. The schedule doesn't align.
- Every property is different. Your soil composition, sun exposure, shade coverage, drainage patterns, and grade are unique to your lot. A watering program that works for your neighbour might drown your lawn or leave it parched.
- Overwatering is worse than underwatering. A lawn that's slightly dry will bounce back. A lawn that's been overwatered develops fungal disease, shallow root systems, and thatch problems that take months to correct. Getting watering wrong causes more damage than skipping it entirely.
This is one area where the homeowner's daily presence and property knowledge matters more than professional equipment.
How to Water Your Lawn in the GTA
Toronto's climate, soil, and municipal water rules create a specific watering context. Here's what works:
The basics
- Target 1 inch of water per week — including rainfall. Set out a tuna can or rain gauge to measure. When it's full, you've hit the mark.
- Deep and infrequent beats shallow and often. Two to three deep watering sessions per week encourage roots to grow downward. Daily light sprinkling keeps roots shallow and dependent.
- Water early morning: 6 AM to 10 AM. The grass has time to absorb moisture before the heat of the day. Wind is typically lowest in early morning, so coverage is more even.
What to avoid
- Evening watering. Grass that stays wet overnight is a breeding ground for fungal disease. Grey mould, dollar spot, and brown patch all thrive in prolonged moisture. Morning watering lets blades dry by afternoon.
- Midday watering. Evaporation eats most of your water before it reaches the roots. You're watering the air, not the lawn.
- Light daily misting. This trains roots to stay at the surface, making your lawn less drought-resistant and more dependent on constant watering. The opposite of what you want.
GTA-specific considerations
- Clay soil is dominant across most of the GTA. Clay holds moisture much longer than sandy soil. If your lawn feels spongy a day after watering, you're overdoing it. Back off and let the soil dry between sessions.
- Municipal watering restrictions apply. Toronto's outdoor water use bylaw restricts watering to specific days based on your address. Check your municipality's schedule and plan accordingly.
- New sod is the exception. If you've had sod installed, it needs daily watering for the first two to three weeks until roots establish. After that, transition to the deep-and-infrequent schedule.
How to Tell If You're Getting It Wrong
Signs of underwatering
- Footprint test: walk across your lawn. If your footprints stay visible for more than a few seconds, the grass blades don't have enough moisture to spring back. Time to water.
- Colour shift: grass turns from green to a blue-grey tone before it turns brown. That blue-grey phase is your early warning.
- Blade curling: grass blades fold inward along their length to reduce surface area and conserve moisture. This is the plant telling you it's stressed.
Signs of overwatering
- Mushrooms appearing in the lawn — fungi thrive in consistently moist soil. A few mushrooms after heavy rain are normal. Mushrooms appearing regularly mean the soil is staying too wet.
- Spongy feel underfoot — the ground shouldn't feel soft and waterlogged 24 hours after watering.
- Yellowing despite active growth — if the grass is growing but turning yellow, the roots are likely suffocating from excess moisture. Roots need oxygen as much as water.
One More Thing: Vacation Coverage
Going away for two weeks in July? Your lawn won't water itself. Monster offers watering as an add-on service for vacation coverage. We'll send someone to water on your schedule while you're away, so you don't come home to a brown lawn.
Ask your account manager about vacation watering packages. It's a simple add-on to your existing service.
Questions About Your Lawn?
We're happy to help. If you're not sure whether your lawn needs more water, less water, or something else entirely, get in touch. Your crew leader can often spot watering issues during regular visits and point you in the right direction.