Landscape Irrigation Watering Schedule
Your individual system's watering schedule is determined by several factors. These factors include, but may not be limited to:
A popular method is to use tuna cans spaced out evenly and let your system run for 15 minutes. Measure the amount of water in the can and multiply it by 4 to find out how many inches per hour you are applying to a certain area. For example, we'll say that your system put out 1/4" into the tuna can in 15 mintues. Multiply 0.25 by 4 and you'll see that that area is getting 1" of water per hour. You can use this as a guide to see how long to run your system. (This is also a great way to discover areas that may be over or under watered). Many popular types of lawns require approximately 2" of rainfall per week to thrive. If you have sandy soil, you may be able to run that zone for 1 hour, twice per week to provide the 2 inches of water.
Or, you may have a clay based soil and may only be able to run the system for 15 minutes at a time. In this case you may need to run the system 8 cycles per week. This would be best by having the system run twice a day, 4 days a week spaced out. The first watering (and best time to water) should be early in the morning...about 5:00 AM depending on where you live and your season. The second watering should be before dusk, 5:00 PM is usually a good time.
While there are many factors that come in play when figuring your watering schedule, with a little common sense and attention to detail you can figure out the most effective watering schedule for your irrigation system. If in doubt, just call a licensed professional who can help you out.
Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com
- Soil conditions (rock, clay, silt, sandy, etc...)
- Sun/shade conditions
- Weather conditions
- Type of sprinkler head (rotors, sprays, or drip irrigation)
- Type of vegetation (type of grass, shrubs, flowers, plants, etc...)
- Sprinkler system design efficiency
A popular method is to use tuna cans spaced out evenly and let your system run for 15 minutes. Measure the amount of water in the can and multiply it by 4 to find out how many inches per hour you are applying to a certain area. For example, we'll say that your system put out 1/4" into the tuna can in 15 mintues. Multiply 0.25 by 4 and you'll see that that area is getting 1" of water per hour. You can use this as a guide to see how long to run your system. (This is also a great way to discover areas that may be over or under watered). Many popular types of lawns require approximately 2" of rainfall per week to thrive. If you have sandy soil, you may be able to run that zone for 1 hour, twice per week to provide the 2 inches of water.
Or, you may have a clay based soil and may only be able to run the system for 15 minutes at a time. In this case you may need to run the system 8 cycles per week. This would be best by having the system run twice a day, 4 days a week spaced out. The first watering (and best time to water) should be early in the morning...about 5:00 AM depending on where you live and your season. The second watering should be before dusk, 5:00 PM is usually a good time.
While there are many factors that come in play when figuring your watering schedule, with a little common sense and attention to detail you can figure out the most effective watering schedule for your irrigation system. If in doubt, just call a licensed professional who can help you out.
Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com
posted by Irrigationman at
7:31 PM
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