Florida Waterwise Landscapes - Alliance for Water Efficiency

Turf areas need rotors or spray heads. These
sprinkler heads should deliver water “head-to-head,”
meaning that heads are properly placed to ensure
uniform application of water, with one head’s spray
reaching the closest neighboring head.
To test for distribution uniformity and to
determine how long it takes the irrigation system to
deliver 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of water — the amount
recommended for lawns — use the “can” method.
Place tuna (or similar sized) cans around the yard
and measure the water collected in half an hour. If
some cans have more water than others, distribution
is not even. If you get 1 inch of water, you know you
only need to run that zone for 15 minutes to get
half an inch.
• USE A RAIN GAUGE. Keep track of how much rain has
fallen in your yard. Do not adhere to a rigid irrigation
schedule. When it rains, you probably don’t need to
water. During periods of extended rainy weather,
irrigation systems should be turned off.
• IRRIGATE ONLY WHEN PLANTS OR GRASS NEED IT. Water
plants that begin to show signs of stress. Signs of stress
for grass include leaves wilting or grass blades folding
in half, or soil from the root zone feeling dry. Your
lawn needs watering if grass blades start turning a
bluish-gray color or if footprints linger after being
made. Overwatering is often the cause of many
common problems, such as dollar weed and
fungal growth.
Example of shallow
roots and deeper,
healthier roots
15
Microspray
• WATER IF IT HASN’T RAINED. St. Augustine grass only
needs rain or watering once or twice a week in
summer and once every 8–14 days from December
through February. Bahia grass needs water less often.
• HELP GRASS AND PLANTS DEVELOP DEEP ROOT SYSTEMS.
It is better to water your lawn and plants well once a
week than it is to water lightly each day, but apply
water only as quickly as the soil can absorb it.
Thorough watering encourages roots to establish
themselves deeper in the soil, which makes them more
drought-tolerant. Frequent light watering causes roots
to stay too close to the surface, where they are
dependent on regularly recurring precipitation or
irrigation and are more likely to suffer in dry times.
The exception to deep watering is for newly installed
plants, where the roots are still closer to the surface.
These plants need light, more-frequent waterings until
they adjust to the new location, generally about 30 to
60 days. Larger plants, shrubs and trees may need
frequent waterings longer to become established.
• WATER EARLY IN THE DAY. To minimize loss of water
through evaporation, water early in the morning,
before sunrise. When the sun rises, it will dry plants,
reducing the potential for fungal growth or diseases.
Leaving plants wet overnight creates conditions for
fungal growth. Watering in the heat of the day is
prohibited in some areas of Florida under rules
established by the water management districts. In
addition, watering in the middle of the day results in
water loss through evaporation.