How to Water Your Lawn RIGHT!!!
Keith Mickler
It has been three weeks since we had any type of measurable rainfall. Our lawn,
gardens and landscape are really cooking in this extreme heat and droughty conditions.
So much for any relief was thought we might get from hurricane Irene.
It is extremely important that we make every drop of water we apply to our landscape
count. The next few lines will provide you with guidelines on how to make every drop
count when irrigating your lawn.
First and for most established lawns need not be watered daily. Deep, infrequent
irrigation is better than frequent sprinklings. Two irrigations per week are usually
sufficient except during extremely hot, windy periods.
The amount of water that is applied during each watering is as important as the
frequency. Unless your irrigation system is calibrated, (I dare say that even an
experienced gardener might not know) you don’t know how much water is being
applied.
Frequently, ok every time I will ask how much water is your irrigation system applying?
Inevitably, the answer I am given is the number of days and minutes the irrigation
system runs, which frankly doesn’t tell you or me diddly!!!
The time of sprinkling means nothing, unless there is a relationship between that and
the volume of water that is applied. I have seen systems that could deliver the required
amount of water within 20 to 30 minutes, while others can take over two hours to deliver
the same amount. The amount of water that is delivered by an irrigation system is
determined by pipe size, pressure and the number and type of sprinkler heads that are
used.
Since no two irrigation systems are the same, each one should be calibrated in order to
determine the exact amount of water that is being applied. Established lawns should be
given 1 inch of water per week in one irrigation cycle but twice a week (two irrigation
cycles) during drought thus totaling 2 inches. On the other hand shrubs and trees will
survive on 1 inch of water once week.
One inch of water is a lot of water given the fact that one inch of rainfall or irrigation
amounts to 27,000 gallons of water per acre or .65 gallons per sq. ft. Using a quarter of
an acre lot as an example, there would be approximately 7,000 square feet in lawn and
landscape plantings following construction. Over three thousand gallons would be
required to deliver 1 inch of water to the lawn area.
The How to Calibrate using the Can Test
Find out how much water your system is delivering and to make necessary adjustments
follow these steps.
 Place 5 or 6 straight sided cans or pans (tuna, cat food, baking pan etc.) at
random throughout the area to be irrigated.
 Run the system a determined amount of time and, using a ruler, check the depth
within the pans.
Continue to check the cans/pans and keep up with the irrigation time until an average of
1 inch is collected in the pans. Now you should know how much time it will take to
deliver 1 inch of water.
Most gardeners who perform this simple test are stunned by the results. In many cases
it is determined that only a fraction of what is needed is being delivered. On the other
hand, the irrigation system is sometimes found to be delivering excessive amounts of
water which is wasted. If you are into wasting money our 4-H program is always in need
of financial assistance. We currently are in desperate need of reliable transportation for
the 4-H youth

Water lawn only once a week; but during drought twice a week

When it hasn’t rained, (which it hasn’t) a deep soaking every week is a must thus
providing your lawn with the needed moisture.

Don’t water in the heat of the day. You will only lose water to evaporation. If
you have an automatic system, set it to come on in the early morning hours
starting say around 12 a.m. and finished by 10 a.m.

Turn off the sprinkler when it rains. Install an inexpensive rain sensor shut-off
switch.

Mulch! Using pine straw, bark chips or ground hardwood mulch on the roots of
all your shrubs and trees to help retain soil moisture.
Keith Mickler is the County Coordinator and agriculture agent for The University of Georgia/Floyd County Cooperative Extension.
Located at 12 East 4th Ave, Rome, GA 30161 (706) 295-6210. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension - Learning for Life. Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer
Sciences, 4-H Youth. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. To obtain extension publications please visit our web site
www.ugaextension.com or contact your county Cooperative Extension office.