Try an experiment - mark out 2 or 3 patches of ground the first leave bare, the second cover sparsly with some plant clippings or mulch, the third cover with a good amount of clippings or mulch. Water all 3 spots. Check back at the end of the day and the next morning - which spot has moisture?
Dude - bare dirt gets hotter than covered ground and sunlight kills the soil life and dead soil life collapses soil structure which caps the ground so water doesn't absorb in. Cover the ground with straw, hay, neighbors grass clippings, leaves, crosscut shredded paper or cardboard, or something. The soil retains the moisture long enough with just one or two waterings to cause the seeds available to sprout or the grasses with runners to take hold and expand. Its number 1 of the soil health principles - keep the soil covered/armored.
