Weekly Watering Timing

Summer is peak water use time.  One inch applied over the course of a week is enough to keep most lawns healthy and will save thousands of gallons of water annually.

Number of minutes to water to get one inch per week

Amount to water if average depth in cans (see below) is:

• 1/8" equals 120 minutes
• 1/4" equals 60 minutes 
• 1/2" equals 30 minutes 
• 3/4" equals 20 minutes 
• 1" equals 15 minutes   

During summer, we can use twice as much water as during other times of the year, mostly outdoors.  Over watering causes 75% of turf problems.  You may be over watering if:

• soil is constantly damp                              

• leaves turn a light green or yellow.
• young shoots are wilted.           
• moss and mushrooms grow.         

How do you get to one inch?

1. set empty tuna cans or soup cans or any straight-sided container in a grid pattern on your lawn.

2. place the cans halfway between the sprinkler heads and areas that receive the least amount of water.

3. turn on the water for 15 minutes.  If multiple sprinklers contribute water to the area where you placed the containers, run each sprinkler for five to ten minutes.

4. measure the depth of water in each of the containers. 

5. add the numbers and divide by the number of cans used to determine the average depth.

6. use the chart above to help determine your weekly watering timing.