Setting your irrigation timer
Programming or setting your lawn sprinkler or irrigation controller should be part of the routine maintenance on your landscape irrigation system. Different types grasses have different water needs. Your soil condition also has a lot to do with programming your timer. In the Southeastern region of the United States, centipede grass or sod is commonly used on residential and commercial landscapes and has a water requirement of approximately 2" of water per week.
With a sandy, permeable soil you can water longer which is good. If your soil is less sandy and more clay and dense ground, you will have to water for shorter, but more frequent number of cycles. On an average yard that I install or maintenance in this area of Northwest Florida, I program the rotor head zones to run for 45 minutes to one hour and the spray head zones to run for 10 - 20 minutes. I program the systems to run 3 days a week, usually a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule and off on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the weekend. If one the the system run days interferes with a lawn or landscape maintenance day with the customers property. In this case I'll schedule around the work and program the timer to run the system for different days.
I normally program and recommend that you program your irrigation timer to run in the early morning hours. This is the best time to run for must residential grasses. The lawn will absorb up the majority of the water and loose very little to evaporation as the sun comes up and heats up the earth.
However, there are times such as on large commercial systems (such as around a business) where starting the system to run in the early morning hours will not work because the sprinklers do not need to be running while people are walking around the parking lot and the building. Over-spray from a light breeze can get water on the sidewalks and roads which becomes a liability for the business. In this case I set the timers to start running in the evening or in the middle of the night depending on the number of zones and total run time.
When setting your timer, keep in mind that you want to water for as long and as less frequent as possible. You want the water to go deep, so that the roots learn to search deep for water and develop a good root structure, which will prove for a healthier lawn. Also, make sure to have a rain sensor installed so that you are not watering unnecessarily.
It also will help your lawn if you change up your watering schedule once in a while. There have been reports that show watering on schedule can make for a weaker lawn. I maintain many systems on which I have on a regular watering schedule, which is usually only changed up by programming the systems to run once a week for a few months during the winter and these yards are immaculate. They are beautiful due to the total care of the owner with issues such as irrigation, pest control, weed control, other landscape and lawn maintenance.
Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com
With a sandy, permeable soil you can water longer which is good. If your soil is less sandy and more clay and dense ground, you will have to water for shorter, but more frequent number of cycles. On an average yard that I install or maintenance in this area of Northwest Florida, I program the rotor head zones to run for 45 minutes to one hour and the spray head zones to run for 10 - 20 minutes. I program the systems to run 3 days a week, usually a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule and off on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the weekend. If one the the system run days interferes with a lawn or landscape maintenance day with the customers property. In this case I'll schedule around the work and program the timer to run the system for different days.
I normally program and recommend that you program your irrigation timer to run in the early morning hours. This is the best time to run for must residential grasses. The lawn will absorb up the majority of the water and loose very little to evaporation as the sun comes up and heats up the earth.
However, there are times such as on large commercial systems (such as around a business) where starting the system to run in the early morning hours will not work because the sprinklers do not need to be running while people are walking around the parking lot and the building. Over-spray from a light breeze can get water on the sidewalks and roads which becomes a liability for the business. In this case I set the timers to start running in the evening or in the middle of the night depending on the number of zones and total run time.
When setting your timer, keep in mind that you want to water for as long and as less frequent as possible. You want the water to go deep, so that the roots learn to search deep for water and develop a good root structure, which will prove for a healthier lawn. Also, make sure to have a rain sensor installed so that you are not watering unnecessarily.
It also will help your lawn if you change up your watering schedule once in a while. There have been reports that show watering on schedule can make for a weaker lawn. I maintain many systems on which I have on a regular watering schedule, which is usually only changed up by programming the systems to run once a week for a few months during the winter and these yards are immaculate. They are beautiful due to the total care of the owner with issues such as irrigation, pest control, weed control, other landscape and lawn maintenance.
Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com
posted by Irrigationman at
7:18 PM
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