Technical Information - Methods of Sprinkler Scheduling

There is a simple way to arrive at a watering schedule that will work for your lawn and landscape. The first thing you must know is how much water do you want to apply to a given area.

Does the plant material need frequent, light watering (such as newly seeded lawns or newly installed annual color beds), or do you need heavy, soaking applications to deep water existing shrubs and grasses? Your irrigation contractor may not be as qualified as a professional nurseryman, landscape contractor or agricultural extension.

Note that the total daily watering requirement does not have to be applied in one episode. Watering can be distributed over a given day in short bursts. Areas that are prone to runoff because of slope or hard soil conditions can be watered for shorter periods, sometimes spread over early morning watering and late evening applications. What matters is the total inches of water applied over the area during the watering day.

Another concern is "how much water can your soil absorb and hold during the watering event?" An inch of soil over rock can only hold so much water, then it begins to run off. Deeper soil will allow deep rooting of grasses and shrubs, therefore allowing longer periods between watering. The City of Austin requests that landscapes be watered every five days, some lawns cannot go that far between watering without suffering great deals of stress, and in some cases death. This problem is the best argument for choosing Buffalo grass or Bermuda for lawns. Both grasses can accept a greater deal of stress due to drought and, while yellowing out during such periods, they are most likely to respond by greening up again once watering is increased by normal rainfall or relaxed restrictions by local authorities.

Short frequent watering can lead to shallow roots and less stress tolerance. Those horror stories can be best told by your extension agency or landscape contractor.

Typical Watering Requirements For Turf

Texas A&M University has stated that any grass, St. Augustine, Bermuda, Zoysia, or even Buffalo grass will need about an inch and a half of water a week to look green and fresh during the summer months, which is the ideal in residential neighborhoods.

How long do you have to run a particular zone to give the area that inch and a half of water? The answer to that question comes by calculating the rate at which the sprinklers apply water, better known as the precipitation rate.

There are several methods used by professional engineers and irrigation designers to calculate precipitation rates, two of these are explained in the Precipitation Rates section.

Technical Sections
[Programming] [How much to water] [Simple Method] [Evapotranspiration Method] [Precipitation Rates] [Water Audits]

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