How good is your irrigation?

After a fresh Verticutt, it's time to test the irrigation system.

Water at the right time.

Watering in the early morning or late evening when temperatures and wind speeds are the lowest will reduce water loss through evaporation. Check with your local Water Management District office or Cooperative Extension Service office to find out how often to water. Tighter watering restrictions may be in order for different counties ranging from one day per week to two days per week and as restrictive as from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm for no watering.

Lawns only need about ¾ inch of water in one watering session. Place empty tuna cans or measuring cups around the yard (all within the range of the sprinkler, some close, some farther away). Turn on the sprinkler for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, measure the amount of water collected in each can/cup. Check to see if there was even distribution of water in all the cans/cups. If the cans/cups collected ¾ inch of water, then you know you need to water for 30 minutes. If the cans/cups collected more or less than ¾ inch of water, then calculate approximately how long you need to water your landscape so that it receives ¾ inch of water in each watering session.

So how good is your irrigation?  Is it truly all about the design?  Some stuff to think about:

• The size of the pipe delivering the water. 
• The source ( pump, city water, reclaimed, etc ).
• How many gallons of water will each source deliver?
• How much water will each pipe size deliver? Most common pipe sizes (1/2" 12 gallons per minute GPM - 3/4" 18 GPM - 1" 24 GPM ) 
• The size of the nozzle installed in the sprinkler. Most sprinklers have available many different size nozzles, they change the rate of precipitation and coverage area.
• The type of sprinkler device used (rotors, spray heads, drip).
• The distance between each sprinkler. ( always design for 100% coverage ) 

In the photo above the rotors are set about 25' apart. The spray from each head should reach the other with no wind ( 100% coverage ).  Your goal should be at least (60% coverage) under windy conditions.

It should be noted that this article is geared to St. Augustine grasses, in central & south Florida.   Most lawns here are growing on sand.  St. Augustine grasses are also shallow rooted, then requiring more water.  You should check with your Cooperative Extension Service for watering rules etc. in your area.

Pinellas County Watering Schedules:

Reclaimed: http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/reclaim-irrigation.htm

County Water or Wells: http://www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/water-restrict.htm


For irrigation help call York: 727 455 7337 or whyverticutting@gmail.com

Next: let's talk about designing your sprinkler system