SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Here is some information that I have preacticed and it works well.

How do you know if you are putting the correct amount of water down with your automatic or manual sprinkler system? The most effective method is to place a rain gauge in the yard and measure how much water goes down in a certain time. During the heat of the summer, typically you will find that 1 hour in each area 3 days a week will provide the necessary moisture. During spring and fall, 15-30 minutes of water in each area, 3 times a week, may be all you need. Keep in mind that wide open areas exposed to all day sun will need more water than shaded areas and adjust water amounts accordingly. If the grass does not spring back up after walking on it or begins to show a gray appearance it's time to water.

Is it possible to over water? Absolutely! Not only is over watering wasteful it too can have detrimental effects on grass such as creating the ideal environment for the development of fungus and other turf grass diseases. A general rule of thumb is 1 to 1.5 inches per week in two to three waterings.

Water 1-1.5 inches per week.

Avoid watering every day or even every other day.

Water deep to increase root development.

Allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

Cycling small run times is a must for hard clay soils. You need the cycle techniuqe to allow the slow absorbing soil to take in the water. Or else you will end up with runoff

wich leads to wasted water.

Tom as to how to come up with your run times based on 1-1.5" per week

You nned to grab yourself a rain gauge. In my case I like to spread out 4-5 gauges within a zone to get an average count of volume. Run your zone for about 30 minutes, see what your measurment is. If its lets say 1/4" of a measurment. Mulitply the 30 minutes x 4 to equal 1". This now equals your weekly run time of 2 hrs. Now based on the everyday of day schedule for longer runs timnes to promote deep root growth
2hrs x 60min = 120minutes / 4 days = 30minute run time every other day.

This should give you a pretty good average of how long you should run. Depending on the time of summer. Hotter Months add 50% more time, early spring and fall deduct 40-50%. This of course depends on your region.


The formula above can even be easier if you just come up with how long it takes to fill 1/4" in your gauge. x that by 4 and you get the same thing. You will have to run into the same every few minutes and get a little wet to keep checking