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| Monthly
Lawn Watering Guide
A typical Utah lawn has a water demand curve that begins in mid-April, rises
to a peak in July, and then falls rapidly until mid-October. Adjusting your
timer monthly to better follow this demand curve will save you water and
money. An easy way to do this is keep the minutes constant and increase
or decrease the number of days between waterings as shown below.
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Minutes shown are
for spray heads;
double times for zones with rotor
heads. If you have a poor-draining soil
type, such as clay, water three separate times for 7 or 9 minutes
each time. |
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(For a printable version of the above guides, click here: North-Central
Utah, Southwest
Utah.)
Do I need to cycle?
On soils with high clay content, or areas with steep slopes, you may need
to cycle. Cycling breaks up the required run time into several short durations
that allow the water to penetrate deeper into the soil, improving root
depth and overall plant health.
| Cycle |
Run
Time |
Soak
Time |
| 1 |
7 min* |
1 hour |
| 2 |
7 min* |
1 hour |
| 3 |
7 min* |
- |
| * 9 min. for Southwest
Utah. |
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To determine if you need to cycle, turn on your system and time how long
it takes for water to start running off. This is the maximum amount of time
you can water in one cycle. Divide the recommended minutes by this to give
you the number of cycles to run. For example, if water begins to run off
after 7 minutes, divide the suggested number of minutes (21) by 7. This
gives 3 cycles, which can be scheduled as shown.
How do I water plants other than grass?
If your lawn and decorative plants are watered by different sprinkler
zones, you will be able to save even more water. Shrubs, flowers and other
decorative plants require 25-50% less water than the lawn. If possible,
water these zones a few minutes longer than the lawn but half as frequently.
What if I already water less than recommended?
The recommendations are based on average conditions. If you already water
less and are satisfied with how your lawn looks, don't increase your watering
time. Instead, try decreasing the time! Turn down the minutes until you
begin to see stress in your lawn, then turn it back up a bit and leave
it. As you fine-tune your schedule, you will save even more water and
money than this schedule suggests!
What if the recommended times are not enough?
If this schedule does not seem to be enough water for your lawn, please
check your system for inefficiencies and maintenance issues before increasing
your run times. Watering the whole lawn to green-up just a few brown spots
is an inefficient use of water.
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Watering Tips
Plant your garden when temperatures are cooler and plants require less water—this is also less stressful for the plants.
More Tips
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