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Lawn Watering
Guide
If you are a typical urban California residential water user,
nearly half of the water you pay for hits the dirt - your
lawn, flower beds, garden. And if you are typical, you can
reduce your landscape water use by 20% to 40% without any
adverse effects.
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USE THE
LAWN
WATERING GUIDE TO DETERMINE YOUR WATERING NEEDS. Each
sprinkler zone will require separate measurements when you
would normally water so that water pressures will be the same.
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PLANT WARM SEASON GRASSES. Watering can be reduced by
20% over the more thirsty cool season grasses. Warm season
grasses include varieties of Bermuda, St. Augustine, Zoysia,
and Kikuyu grass. Cool season grasses include varieties of
Bluegrass, Bent grass, Fescue, and perennial Rye grass. (See
Stockton Area Water Efficient Plants guide for more planting
ideas.)
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GET TO KNOW HOW PLANTS SIGNAL FOR WATER. Grass tends to
lie flat after being stepped on if moisture is low. Some
plants lose their gloss and start to droop before wilting. The
time to water is when the plants need it - rigid watering
schedules waste water.
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TRAIN YOUR PLANTS TO DEVELOP DEEP ROOTS. Water
thoroughly but infrequently. Deeper roots will enable plants
to utilize moisture deep in the ground - plants will be
healthier and stronger.
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AVOID WATERING ON WINDY DAYS. Water early in the
morning before 6:00am. Evenings after 8:00pm is second best,
but then fungus has all night to attack moist foliage.
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ADJUST SPRINKLERS TO WATER PLANTS ONLY. Do not water
the sidewalk, driveway, patio or street. Make sure that
coverage is even so that you don't have to drown one area in
order to get enough water on another.
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IF WATER IS FLOWING OFF THE GRASS INTO THE GUTTER,
split the water time into two blocks to allow the soil time to
absorb the water.
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WHERE SOIL IS SANDY, water may percolate below the
grass zone. Compensate by splitting the watering time into two
blocks.
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USE A KITCHEN TIMER. If your sprinklers are not
controlled by an automatic timer, use a kitchen timer as a
reminder to turn sprinklers off.
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A Simple Way to Determine Your Lawn Water Needs:
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Set 3 pie pans or coffee mugs at various places on your
lawn.
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Turn on your sprinklers for 15 minutes.
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Measure the depth of water in each container with a ruler
and determine the average water depth - add total and divide
by number of containers.
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Check chart for average depth and read the number of minutes
you should water every third day depending on season of the
year.
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Number of Minutes to Water Twice Weekly
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Season |
1/8" |
3/16" |
1/4" |
5/16" |
3/8" |
1/2" |
5/8" |
3/4" |
1" |
1-1/4" |
1-1/2" |
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Spring |
66 min |
44
min |
33 min |
26 min |
22
min |
16 min |
13 min |
11 min |
8
min |
6
min |
5
min |
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Summer |
108 min |
72
min |
54
min |
43 min |
36 min |
27 min |
22 min |
18 min |
14 min |
11 min |
9
min |
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Fall |
43 min |
29 min |
22
min |
18
min |
15 min |
11
min |
9
min |
8
min |
6
min |
5
min |
4
min |
| Use these watering times as a
guide only. Your lawn may need more water when it's hot, or
less when it's cool. Watering can be skipped when it rains.
Avoid watering on windy days. Stockton Municipal Code Section
9-712.B(2) prohibits watering between 11 am and 6 pm from
May 1 through October 31. Prepared with information provided
by the California Department of Water Resources. |
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Stockton,
CA