•  
    • Water Conservation
    • Cycle and Soak
    • Detecting Leaks
    • Landscape Best Practices
    • Reading Your Meter
    • Rebate Programs
    • Sprinkler Maintenance
      • How to Manage Your Lawn
      • Irrigation Tips
    • Understanding ET
    • Water Use Products
      • For Outdoor Irrigation
      • Inside of Your Home
    • Winterization
  •  
    • Conservation History
    • How Much Do We Use?
    • Plans and Regulations
  •  
    • Why Xeriscape?
    • Seven Principles of Xeriscape
    • Styles of Xeriscape
    • Xeric Plant Lists
    • Your Saved Plant List
  •  
    • Education
spacer Meadows >>
15°
Wind: W/NW 5mph
ET : 0.07 ?
What is ET?
Temperature + Wind + Humidity + Solar Radiation = ET
Learn how to use ET to conserve >

details >
NOTICE: Watering restrictions have ended for 2011. Remember to winterize your landscape and irrigation system!
Watering Schedule >

Water longer but less often

Ths method - commonly referred to as cycle and soak - applies water slowly so the soil actually absorbs all that is applied. Instead of setting the sprinkler to run for 15 to 20 minutes, run each zone only the amount of time needed so that the soil can absorb the water. Depending on the slope of the yard, this could vary widely from zone to zone. You will have to test your run zone times to see when the water begins to run off.

Once you have determined the maximum amount of water each zone can take before runoff, split the total irrigation time into two or three parts.  This will involve irrigating the zone, shutting it off to allow time for the water to soak in, and then irrigating the reaminder of the time. Schedule the run times about one hour apart until the soil is moistened to a depth of six to eight inches.  Most sprinkler system controllers can be programmed to automatically run the cycle and soak method. 

The lawn has been successfully watered when about an after watering, push a soil probde (or long screwdriver) into the soil. It will easily slide through wet soil but will be impossible to push through dry clay soil. The probe should be able to slide into the soil to a depth of six to eight inches. 

spacer
gipoco.com is neither affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its contents. This is a safe-cache copy of the original web site.