Healthy, growing grass needs about one-inch of water per week, applied slowly so it percolates down to thoroughly wet the root system. Grasses with deep root systems will better tolerate droughty conditions and the heat of summer. Try keeping track of rainfall with a rain gauge out in the garden. If average temperatures remain above the mid-40's, you can water your lawn on a weekly basis, applying whatever is necessary to bring the total amount of water to one-inch per week. To check the output of your sprinklers you can place several tuna or cat food cans out on the lawn and run your sprinklers for 15 minutes. Check the amount of water that has collected in the cans. If it's less than 1-inch, run the sprinklers again for 15 minutes. After keeping track of the time required to collect 1-inch of water in the cans, you'll know how long it takes your sprinklers to release enough water to throughly wet the root system of your lawn. Hope this information helps you decide when and how much to water your lawn. |