Lawn Watering Tips
ADJUSTABLE SPRAY NOZZLE ROTOR HEAD ROTARY NOZZLE
RECOMMENDED WATERING TIPS:
YOU DO NOT NEED TO WATER EVERY DAY! WATERING DEEPLY, BUT LESS OFTEN, CREATES A STRONGER, HEALTHIER LAWN. OVERWATERING CAN DROWN AND SUFFOCATE ROOTS, CAUSE SHALLOW ROOTS, INCREASE THE RISK OF A DISEASE, LEAVES GRASS PATCHY, RASIES YOUR WATER BILL, AND WASTE A VALUABLE RESOURCE.
NEW SOD WATERING TIPS: NEW SOD SHOULD BE WATERED EVERY DAY FOR THE FIRST 2–3 WEEKS UNTIL ROOTS ESTABLISH. KEEP IT DAMP, NOT SOAKED, BY WATERING 2–3 TIMES A DAY FOR 10–15 MINUTES AT A TIME, ADJUSTING BASED ON YOUR SPRINKLER HEAD TYPE. AVOID OVERWATERING, AND CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPER IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE.
MONTH
RECOMMEND 1 CYCLE PER RUN TIME
HOW MANY TIMES IN THE WEEK IT SHOULD RUN
APRIL
WATER TWICE EACH WEEK
10 MIN- ADJUSTABLE SPRAY NOZZLE
25 MIN- ROTOR HEAD
30 MIN- ROTARY NOZZLE
MAY
WATER TWICE EACH WEEK
10-15 MIN-ADJUSTABLE SPRAY NOZZLE
25-35 MIN-ROTOR HEAD
30-45 MIN-ROTARY NOZZLE
JUNE
WATER FOUR TIMES EACH WEEK
15-20 MIN-ADJUSTABLE SPRAY NOZZLE
35-45 MIN-ROTOR HEAD
45-60 MIN-ROTARY NOZZLE
JULY
WATER FOUR TIMES EACH WEEK
20-25 MIN- ADJUSTABLE SPRAY NOZZLE
45-60 MIN-ROTOR HEAD
1HR-1HR 30MIN-ROTARY NOZZLE
AUGUST
WATER THREE TIMES EACH WEEK
20-25 MIN-ADJUSTABLE SPRAY NOZZLE
45-60 MIN-ROTOR HEAD
1HR-1HR 30 MIN- ROTARY NOZZLE
SEPTEMBER
WATER THREE TIMES EACH WEEK
10-15 MIN-ADJUSTABLE SPRAY NOZZLE
25-35 MIN-ROTOR HEAD
30-45 MIN-ROTARY NOZZLE
OCTOBER
WATER TWICE EACH WEEK
10 MIN-ADJUSTABLE SPRAY NOZZLE
25 MIN-ROTOR HEAD
30 MIN-ROTARY NOZZLE
NOVEMBER:
RECOMMENED TO HAVE YOUR UNDERGROUND SPRINKLERS WINTERIZED. DELAYING THIS IMPORTANT MAINTENANCE INTO THE COLDER MONTHS CAN RESULT IN A DAMAGED SYSTEM. RESIDUAL WATER CAN SOMETIMES REMIAN IN THE DOUBLE CHECK VALVE ASSEMBLY (DVCA), LATERAL LINES, AND IF IT FREEZES, IT MAY CAUSE THE VALVE OR PIPE TO CRACK. IN SUCH CASES, REPLACEMENT BECOMES NECESSARY. TAKING THESE STEPS NOW WILL HELP PROTECT YOUR SYSTEM AND ENSURE A SMOOTH START-UP IN THE SPRING.
YOU CAN ALSO DO A HOME IRRIGATION AUDIT WTH CANS OF TUNA OR CUPS. MEASURE OUT 1 INCH MARK AND A 2 INCH MARK. YOUR LAWN TYPICALLY NEEDS 1 INCH OF WATER A WEEK IN THE SPRING AND FALL. DURING THE SUMMER, 1.5 - 2 INCHES OF WATER A WEEK ARE NEEDED. YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO LAY THEM OUT IN A SQUARE OR RECTANGULAR FORMATION. ANYWHERE BETWEEN 4-16 CANS OF TUNA OR CUPS. THE MORE THE BETTER. YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO RECORD THE DATA YOU COLLECTED TO BE ABLE TO GET THE INFORMATION FOR THE RUN TIMES (MINUTES) PER ZONE. REMEMBER EVERY ZONE CAN HAVE DIFFERENT HEADS WHICH DISTRIBUTE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF WATER. FOR THAT REASON ALONE, IT'S VERY CRUCIAL TO HAVE THE SAME HEADS FOR EACH ZONE. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE DRIP (GARDEN BEDS) IRRIGATION.
EXAMPLE:
I RAN ZONE 1, WHICH HAS ALL ROTARY NOZZLES, FOR 1 HOUR AND MEASURED AN AVERAGE APPLICATION RATE OF 0.4 INCHES PER HOUR. TO REACH MY WEEKLY GOAL OF 1.2 INCHES OF WATER, I NEED TO RUN THIS ZONE FOR A TOTAL OF 3 HOURS.
THE NUMBER OF WATERING CYCLES PER WEEK DEPENDS ON THE MONTH. I DIVIDE THE TOTAL RUN TIME (3 HOURS) BY THE NUMBER OF DAYS PER WEEK I PLAN TO WATER THAT MONTH. THIS CALCULATION GIVES ME THE CONTROLLER’S RUN TIME, IN MINUTES, FOR THAT SPECIFIC ZONE.
IF YOU BEGIN NOTICING WHITE, YELLOW, OR ORANGE-COLORED MUSHROOMS, THAT CAN BE A SIGN OF OVERWATERING.
IF YOU WANT TO GO ONE STEP FURTHER: EXAMINE YOUR LAWN TO IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF GRASS (KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS, FESCUE, OR PERENNIAL RYEGRASS) AND THE TYPE OF SOIL (LOAM, SANDY, OR CLAY). THIS WILL HELP YOU ADJUST THE WATERING GUIDE TO BEST FIT YOUR LAWN’S NEEDS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN CONTACT OUR OFFICE AT (509)966-0272 EXT-3, THEN EXTENSION 2 FOR OUR WATER EFFICIENCY DEPARTMENT.
SCHEDULE YOUR ONE-TIME FREE IRRIGATION AUDIT TODAY! TO LEARN MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT OUR NEW WATER EFFICIENCY SECTION AT WWW.NOBHILLWATER.ORG