Summer Watering Guide (General Guidelines to Consider)

•    It is best to soak deeply, less frequently that a little bit every day.  This establishes deep, healthy roots.
•    Water in the early morning (12:00 – 4:30 am)
•    Most Bermuda lawns need 1-1.25 inches of water per week applied over 2 waterings.
•    St. Augustine needs 1.5 inches of water per week applied over 2 waterings.
•    Beds with at least 2 inches of mulch need less water than grass.

For pop-up spray heads, 30 minutes of water once every 4 days will equal approximately 1.25 inches of rain per week.  Rotary spray heads will need at least twice as much time.

Example for Spray Heads
Start time #1    1:00 am for 10 minutes (20-30 minutes for rotors)
Start time #2    2:30 am for 10 minutes (20-30 minutes for rotors)
Start time #3    4:00 am for 10 minutes (20-30 minutes for rotors)

Winter or Rainy Season Guide
•    Turn your sprinkler system off
•    If there is no rain for 2 weeks, use the manual cycle and water as needed.
•    Take advantage of any rainfall and have a rain/freeze sensor installed.

When temperatures are approximately:
70 degrees – water every 6 days
80 degrees – water every 5 days
90 degrees – water every 4 days
Summertime – increase time 30-50%, not frequency

Remember that these are general guidelines.  Time and frequency will vary depending on the weather and soil moisture conditions.  Be sure to check your system every couple of weeks for proper coverage.  A clogged nozzle, broken head of pipe will show up quickly in Texas heat.  Save yourself and your community lots of water.  Be water wise!

To customize your watering, follow these steps to measure each station of your system.

1.    Set 3 to 5 cans at different distances from the sprinkler
2.    Run the sprinkler for 15 minutes
3.    Measure the amount of water collected in each can in inches
4.    Add together the measurement and divide by the total number of cans obtain an average
5.    Multiply the average by 4 to determine how many inches of water are applied in 1 hour
6.    This test will also locate uneven distribution of the sprinkler system