How Much Water Should My Lawn Actually Be Getting?
Set your sprinkler schedule with these tips in mind!
The fall season is upon us, and for all Florida homeowners, it’s time to think about how to set up their sprinkler system to ensure that your lawns and plants don't get too much water. This is when the sprinkler systems should only deliver three-fourths inches of water, which is just two days of the week. If you reside in a community with a commercial landscape company to take care of irrigation and lawns, then there is little to consider in maintaining the grass. The professionals will take care of it all.
However, if you are a homeowner who has to take care of their lawn and manage their irrigation system, you have to consider the fundamental question of how much water your plants should be getting. Well, read on to find out how to manage the watering of your lawns, especially as the fall season makes way for winter.
HOW TO MEASURE WATER FALL
One of the best tips you will ever get is to set empty cans around your yard and let your sprinklers run. Now measure the amount of water collected to determine if the lawn is getting sufficient water and if the delivery is consistent.
The start of the autumn season means you are just coming out of the rainy season and heading into a dry weather pattern in the winter when watering your lawn is very important, especially if you live on properties that have water-dependent turf grasses like St. Augustine grass.
WATER SCHEDULING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Some people turn off their sprinkler systems during the summer for the rainy season. In contrast, others leave it on but control water delivery manually or through sensor controls, depending on how much rainfall happens. In either case, the beginning of the dry fall and winter season means you must set up a regular watering schedule.
Putting in place the correct irrigation practice not only helps save water but is also essential for the optimal health of your lawn. Such methods include:
The right frequency.
Time of watering.
Uniformity of water delivery.
Quantity of water delivered throughout the property.
Read on to find out essential details to help take care of your lawn.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU WATER YOUR LAWN?
In the dry season, such as autumn and winter, you should water your lawn only two days a week. While it also depends on your location, soil type, grass species, and what kinds of trees you have, more or less watering your lawn twice a week is ideal for most places. If you have St. Augustine grass, for example, in the winter season, this type of grass can last for 8 to 28 days between waterings. However, in the summer months, you must ensure to water this grass once every one to five days.
The best way to judge when you need to water your lawn is to check for signs that the grass needs watering. The most significant characteristic is when the leaf blades fold in half, the grass starts to appear bluish-gray, and any footprints or tire marks remain visible on the grass.
HOW MUCH WATER DOES YOUR LAWN NEED?
The water your lawn needs remains the same, regardless of the season. This is because the root zone always requires sufficient water to stay wet, which is usually the same amount of water in summer and winter.
You should check to see if turf grass shows signs of dryness. As mentioned above, the symptoms include the grass turning bluish-gray in color or the leaf blades folding in half. If you see such dryness, you must provide three-fourths of an inch of water.
But how do you determine what exactly is three-fourths of an inch of water? To do this, the method mentioned above is the best. Place several empty shallow cans, even watering cans will do, around your lawn at varying distances from your sprinkler heads. Start the sprinklers and leave them on for at least half an hour. After half an hour, check the cans to see how much water has accumulated. If you find that the cans contain three-fourths inch of water, you will know that you need to run your sprinkler system for at least half an hour. However, if they have half an inch of water, your grass needs more water, and you should run your sprinklers for at least 490 minutes. If a quarter of an inch of water is left in the cans, leave your irrigation system for 50 minutes, and keep increasing the time depending on the amount of water.
These empty cans will also indicate if your sprinklers are uniformly delivering water. If you find that one can is less or more full than the others, you must adjust the sprinkler head in that area. Either set them to run for a longer or shorter time than the sprinkler heads in the other parts of the lawn.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Every lawn needs a different amount of water. While the amount of water your property needs depends on many factors, including the type of grass you have, it is best to rinse your lawn at least once a week. It is best to run the sprinklers in the morning between 5 am to 10 am. This is because evaporation in the morning is significantly less than during the day's peak heat. Thus the grass will get proper watering in the morning hours.
