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Jonathon Spafford
07-02-2007, 6:09 PM
I get to adjust my sprinklers today (goodie, goodie, goodie) as my lawn is rather brown in spots and needs some attention :rolleyes:

Anyway, I was wondering how much water a lawn should have a day or week or whatever... I really have no idea what I'm doing, so I guess it is just a matter of experimenting a bit! So, any answers would be appreciated as to the ammount of water a lawn should be getting!

Jason Roehl
07-02-2007, 7:07 PM
My thumb's only green when I get paint on it, but I have learned a couple things. First, you need to know what type of grass you have to know the water requirements. Here in Indiana, the grasses that are most common are the ones that do well on about an inch of water per week, since that is our typical rainfall through spring, summer and fall. I would guess that in Washington, you get much more rain than that, so you might want to do a little research into what grass(es) you have and what are common for the area.

Jim Becker
07-02-2007, 8:33 PM
Yes, it does depend upon the type of grass. Average is about 1 inch per week, but some grasses need less/some "desire" more. My grass only gets watered when it rains...country living, as it were...

Pat Germain
07-02-2007, 9:27 PM
I know most people with automatic sprinklers water far too often. Every day, and even every other day, is usually more than necessary. Giving your lawn a break between waterings forces the roots to grow deep to get moisture, which is a good thing.

I usually go by weather+appearance. Obviously, if I've had a good rain recently, I don't water. If the grass is starting to look stressed, I know it's overdue for water. I've learned to usually find a happy medium. (If you step on the grass and it leaves an impression of your foot, the grass is stressed.)

It's best water very early in the morning, which is easy if your sprinklers have a timer. It's not so easy of you're using a hose and sprinkler, as I am.

Jeffrey Makiel
07-02-2007, 10:13 PM
An interesting post.

I was just looking into installing a sprinkler system for my front yard and was looking at the Rain Bird website just before I jumped on SMC.

For some reason, parts of the lawn keep dying. This year's the worst. I checked for bugs, but found nothing. Part of my lawn is zoysia grass. This stuff is awful. But there's also a mix of other grass types. So, I'm thinking of killing the whole lawn and lay down sod or seed in the fall. Therefore, a new spinkler system is a must for me. Irrigation is the key ingredient in maintaining a green and full turf, in my opinion. More so than fertilizer.

As far as determing how much water, I don't know. But I do know that hose sprinklers are inefficient and a pain to keep moving around. There are also gadgets that measure soil moisture and send that information to the sprinkler's control box. However, I suspect that it will work well for about 1 month. Electronic stuff, you know. :)

-Jeff :)

Roger Bell
07-02-2007, 10:15 PM
Jonathan, in the PNW, we dont get "good" rains in summer, like the Midwest and East. Summer is our dry season. That is far different than most of the country , which gets the bulk of their rain in the summer. Our grass looks great in the spring, naturally turns brown in our dry season and revitalizes itself in the fall. My wife is a Master Gardener and has edu-ma-cated me in all this. She "collects" certain species of plants and horticulture is a big deal for us. A WW and a Gardener...Lee Valley loves us.

If you want green grass all summer, then you must water. It is better to water a lot, but less frequently, than a little bit every day. The water must percolate to a 2" depth. How long that takes depends on the volume of water your system provides....so you will just have to guess for starters.

The rains we usually get in June, July, Aug and Sept won't provide that. Therefore you must water. The suggestion about an inch of water at least once a week is about right for starters. Try that out for 2-3 weeks and see if the results suit you. Twice a week certainly would be better, if you wish to do that. Do not over-water (like ....dont water every day....) You must water in the morning, before the heat of the day. Watering plants when sun-hot is very bad practise. A distant second choice is the evening before. You can get (good) cheap timers from Lee Valley.

Unless you planted the grass yourself, you probably wont know what variety you have (most storebought seed around here is a variety mix anyway)....dont worry about it....just experiment with the "deep" watering and monitor the results. With hot weather (like this coming week) a little too much probably wont hurt. Back off a bit once it gets cooler.

If you really want a nice lawn, get several sprinklers and rig them up so that you just have to set the timer and forget about them. Then, all you have to do is adjust the timer rather than fooling around wrangling hose and sprinklers.

Another option (which we do) is simply allow nature to take its course and allow the lawn to brown out for the next three months. It really wont die. A lot less hassle, a lot less mowing, and a lot less water bill if urban (or wear and tear on your pump if rural).

Joe Mioux
07-03-2007, 12:01 AM
Cutting to the chase....

one inch per week will suffice.

Jason Boushard
07-03-2007, 7:29 AM
1" A week is the average but making sure you cut it at the right hight is also important. neighbor down the street told me to raise my mower a couple of notches and I saw a drastic improvement. if you cut it to short it takes away from its drought and shade tollerance. When you water to often the roots don't grow as deep which hurts the plant overall. I had a garden last year and watered it all the time and didnt get very good results I now water once maybe twice a week and I have had to move the fence 3 times becuse of the pumkin and watermellon plants growing so big. I am not an expert but I have had good luck this year.

Joe Pelonio
07-03-2007, 8:02 AM
Jonathon,

I agree with the others, in fact just last Saturday Seattle Master Gardener Ciscoe Morris was showing how to place plastic tubs on the lawn to measure the 1" per week in order to determine how long it takes for the sprinklers to provide that amount.

On the other hand, here I have yet to water my lawn this season and it's still nice and green. We get sufficient rain until (normally) July 5th and only water in mid-July-August. Many people don't even do that, but let it go brown until the rains return in september.

Ken Fitzgerald
07-03-2007, 9:33 AM
Jonathan.....You have gotten good advice.....Here in Lewiston, we start watering in May or our lawns go dormant by mid-Juine.

Doyle Alley
07-03-2007, 9:45 AM
If you want an easy way to determine "how long does it take to get 1 inch", use empty tuna fish cans. They are about an inch high. Place a few on various spots on your lawn, turn on your sprinklers, and start your stopwatch. When the cans fill up, mark the time.

John Bush
07-03-2007, 10:42 AM
Hi Jonathon,
I have a friend that is the "Turf Czar" for the city parks and playfields in the Seattle area and he also recommended the tuna/catfood can to measure the close to ideal 1"/wk. He suggsted that frequent aerating is vital to getting the water deeper in the sod. He feels that dethatching is less vital and can be a bit destructive. He says they use appropriate fertilizers and weed control to manage the heavily used turf, and they look wonderful usually until the Nov. wet season and lots of kids playing soccer!

Art Mulder
07-03-2007, 12:24 PM
But, if you don't water it, then you don't have to mow it! ;):D

Scott Donley
07-03-2007, 1:45 PM
But, if you don't water it, then you don't have to mow it! ;):DNot so :mad: The dandelions still grow without water ! :mad:
Also, must add, New York City gets 10 inches more rain a year than Seattle !

Al Wasser
07-05-2007, 4:15 PM
I don't know where this one inch bs came from but it might be right and maybe not. Our county agent says blue grass needs 1" per week when the temps are in the 70s, 2" per week when its in the 80's and 3" in the 90's. Our humidity is pretty low and that makes a difference also. Try to water deeply and less frequently. Find out the fertilizer requirements for your area also. Other kinds of grass MAY need less water. You soils also affect the water needed with sandy soils needing more water than a clay soil. Sorry, but it is not real simple

Jonathon Spafford
07-06-2007, 1:14 AM
Hey, thanks for all the replies everybody... I'll do some experimenting and see if I can't get rid of all the brown spots! The replies have been helpful though in getting me started. Thanks alot!

Scott Coffelt
07-06-2007, 10:13 AM
In Kansas they say about once or twice per week, now if you have lots of trees that could change. I have a heavily treed back yard and it stays moist longer, but my front is on a slope so it dries to cracks within a day in the heat of the summer and my trees suck a lot of that moisture.

Problem we have had this year is too much rain, had 8-10 inches last week week. Been that way all spring and early summer, which has water rotted the roots.

Charles McKinley
07-10-2007, 11:41 PM
I just don't get it. If you water it you have to cut it!