We are having another perfect opportunity to conserve water with the rain we have already got this morning and the rain we are expecting throughout the day. We are anticipating a half inch to an inch of water with this storm. We recommend leaving all irrigation off for 3 to 4 days and then reevaluating the soil conditions. Depending on the shade, and how fast the spoil drains, at your property you may be able to leave your irrigation systems off longer. Remember if you can easily stick a screw driver into the ground (more than 3 to 4 inches for rye grass) then you don’t need to water.
However, these wet and cool days aren’t going to last long. We are expecting highs to reach the mid 80’s by the end of next week, and our Bermuda grass will start to come out of its dormancy state soon. Our goal in all of our turf areas is to have an uniformed green color throughout the entry lawn while using as little water as possible. If you start to notice dry areas in your grass resist the urge to add more water, instead look for ways to make the irrigation system more efficient. The higher efficiency the irrigation system has the less the run time needs to be. Some quick and easy ways to make your irrigation system more efficient is to make sure all of the sprinkler heads are the same type of head, (ie rotor heads with rotor heads), make all sprinkler heads straight and at grade level with the ground, and adjust nozzles so there is minimal over spray. Any water that does not reach it’s intended target is water that we’ve wasted and can’t get back.
The following water guidelines for next week (once the rain stops and we turn our irrigation systems back on) is a recommendation only and may vary depending on the efficiency of your irrigation system.
Water Guidelines for the week of March 08th .
Spray Heads – 2 start times, twice a week, 5 minutes per run time
Part Circle Rotors – 2 start times, twice a week, 9 minutes per run time
Full Circle Rotors – 2 start times, twice a week, 18 minutes per run time
Drip Irrigation – 2 hours every 3 weeks.
Water Guidelines for dormant Bermuda Grass
Spray Heads – once a week for 5 minutes
Part Circle Rotors – once a week for 12 minutes
Full Circle Rotors – once a week for 20 minutes.
Please contact the Caretaker Team if you have any questions or need help with your irrigation systems.