Home Lawn Irrigation Tips
- Check moisture before irrigating – Walk your yard before scheduling irrigation. Take a small shovel, pocket knife, screwdriver, or similar tool that allows you to physically touch the soil beneath the surface of the grass. Rub the soil between your fingers. If the soil feels wet – don’t water! You may be surprised how long you can go without needing any irrigation.
- Water deep and infrequent – The majority of yards in our area are grown on heavy soils that retain moisture for long periods of time. In most cases, irrigating one to three nights per week with longer run times will allow the water to penetrate deeper into the soil. This will help improve root depth, and result in much more efficient use of your water. It is also helpful to use “cycle and soak” irrigation scheduling. More information here: Cycle and Soak Irrigation.
- Consider a “smart controller” – Over the last few years, the availability of affordable “smart” irrigation controllers has increased dramatically. These controllers can be operated from your phone, utilize both current and historical weather data, and have the ability to connect to rain, weather, and soil sensors. The cost of these controllers (around $80 to $300), can easily be offset by savings on your water bill.
- Do a simple audit of your system- Manually turn on each zone and inspect each sprinkler to ensure that it is operating properly. Make notes of the specific areas that each zone irrigates, and adjust run times accordingly. Flower beds, shrubs, and turf all need different amounts of water and most systems give you some flexibility to adjust zones accordingly. If you want to take this a step further – do a “catch can test” as described in the video above. This test will help you improve your overall system efficiency. At RCC, we have specially designed measuring cups used specifically for this purpose. We will be happy to loan them to members who what to perform this test at home.
- Avoid watering during the day- Irrigating in the evening, at night, or early in the morning will result in less evaporation and also reduce disease pressure.
- Try the Texas ET Network Calculator- Watering based on evapotranspiration (ET) is a great way to most efficiently use your water. The Texas ET Network is a free service that uses real-time weather data to determine how much water is lost from the soil during a given time period. Try using the calculator to help get a general idea of how much water you need to apply throughout the year. Texas ET Calculator
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Thank you for taking the time to view this post. Please drop me a note if you have any questions. Stay safe and we hope to see you on the course soon.
