Organic gardens usually require less water as you amend and build up your soil. Organic gardeners want Mother Nature to be the boss since real rain is the best medicine for any lawn and garden. Non-organic gardeners don't want to run the sprinkler system either for that matter, especially when they open their water bill!
Our common goal is to never run the sprinkler system -or as my friend Mike likes to call it "upside down rain". But droughts or extremely hot weather usually turn our no run plans into a non-starter. The challenge we all face is how to best manage our sprinkler system for maximum effectiveness with the least amount of water used.
The reality is that most homeowners water too much, not too little. These tips will require you to turn off that switch in your head that says "more water" and let your garden tell you what it needs.
1. Equipment check: Run your sprinkler system while you are watching! Ensure that all sprinklers are working correctly and all parts of your landscape are being reached by the relevant sprinkler and you're not watering too much of the street. I recommend you do this at the start and midway through the growing season. Lawn mowers damage sprinkler heads and your plants will grow through out the season so what worked before may no longer be the case.
2. Sprinkler schedule: Your sprinkler system should only run 1-2 days a week in the heat of the summer when there is no rainfall. You only need about 1 to 1.5 inches of rain a week to maintain your landscape so keep a rain guage out or pay attention to the weather to see if you need to run your system. Why so few times? You want to run your sprinkler through multiple cycles each time it runs for ground saturation and then you want to let it dry out just in time for the next sprinkler run. This forces the roots deeper since they follow the water deep into the soil which allows your plants to better withstand dry conditions in the future.
3. Cycles for each zone: The number of times you water each zone on the days you run your system depends on your soil and how easily it absorbs water. Excessive water run off on the sidewalk or driveway will tell you that you can reduce your cycles or the time for each cycle. Remember we want to saturate the ground, not just water the surface.
4. Cycle Start Times: Start your cycles before dawn and finish before the sun is above the horizon. This will prevent excessive evaporation in the heat of the day and also reduce any fungus issues that might arise with a wet lawn and cooler temperatures if you were to run the system early in the evening.
5. Zone Run Times: Adjust your run times for the type of sprinkler heads in each zone and the amount of sun each zone receives. Pop up sprayers are a constant spray to specific area while rotor sprayers will water each area once on each pass so they will probably need almost twice as much time as a pop up for the same amount of water. The southern and west sides of the yard receive more sun and will probably need more water while the northern and east sides may not need as much.
So, what could this look like all summed up?
Sprinkler Runs: Sunday & Thursday
Cycle start times: 3am, 5am, 7am
South lawn/pop up head: 8-10 minutes each cycle
South lawn/rotor head: 16-20 minutes each cycle
North lawn/pop up: 6-8 minutes each cycle
North lawn/rotor: 12-16 minutes each cycle
Most sprinkler systems have 6-8 zones so you'll need to make sure that you give enough time to run through the cycle before you start to cycle through again.
Follow these tips and you'll have both a healthy landscape and more money in your pocket!
Susan LaRocca has experience in landscaping and organic gardening in the Dallas, Texas area. If you would like more information on organic gardening and a free organic gardening 6 day course "Organic Gardening Magic" visit http://easyorganicgardeningguide.weebly.com/
Organic Gardening made easy
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