Highlands Ranch Aeration
Watering Tips
We offer a full line of lawn and sprinkler care services
Watering Your Lawn
Grass requires water to grow and stay healthy especially under the hot dry Colorado sun. Since grass is about 90% water, it can become dehydrated. Applying the correct amount of water to your lawn is important to keep it healthy and green.
Watering Habits
Determining how often to water your lawn can be a frustrating experience since every watering device (i.e. hose type sprinklers, sprinkler systems heads, etc.) sold on the market today applies a different amount of water per hour to a given area. To become a watering expert, you must determine the amount of water applied by each device you use. For sprinkler systems, you need to check each station or zone of your sprinkler.
Measuring Your Sprinklers Watering Rate
- Place 3 or more low profile, straight-sided cans (tuna, cat food type cans) throughout the area to be watered and measured.
- Run one cycle / watering of your sprinkler system as programed or Run one station at a time for 15 minutes for pop-up type heads and run a rotary type large area sprinkler head station for 30 minutes.
- Measure the water in each of the cans. I recommend making a drawing of your lawn on a sheet of paper and write down the amounts of water in each of the cans.
- We know how many minutes and how much water is being applied by your sprinklers. Example: if you watered your pop-up sprinkler heads for 15 minutes and you measured 1/2” inch of water in the collection cans. Your results mean this station with pop-up type spray heads can apply 2” inch of water per hour. Example: rotary single stream heads that water a large area of your lawn, was run for 30 minutes and you measured 1/2” inch of water in each of the cans. The results mean that this station with rotary type heads can apply 1” inch of water per hour. Note: Rotary heads generally take 2 or 3 times longer than spray heads.
How Many Minutes Per Watering Station
Example: If you have pop-up spray heads watering 15 minutes and we know 1/2” inch of water will be applied to your lawn, but water starts to run off the lawn and down the sidewalk at 15 minutes of watering. To prevent the wasting of water, you must limit each watering to 15 minutes, then water again for the same amount of time a 2 or more hours later, after your lawn has absorbed the previous watering. You must repeat this process until you have watered the proper amount for your lawn needs.
Example: Average summer week with temperatures of 85 degrees, and 2” inches of water needed per week. This means you need to apply 1” inch of water per watering day every 3 days or generally 2 watering days per week. If you water with pop-up spray sprinkler heads that water 1/2” of water every 15 minutes, then run your sprinkler system 2 X 15 minutes = 30 minutes of watering to apply 2 X 1/2” = 1” inch of water on each of your watering days. Then 2 watering day per week will total 60 minutes of watering time and apply 2” inches of water per week.
The water requirements below will help you adjust the amount of water your bluegrass lawn needs each week depending on the temperature through out the spring and summer. Shady areas needs 25% less water and hot south exposures will need at least 25% more water. Windy conditions will also require extra watering.
Temperatures
70-75
75-80
80-85
85-90
over 90
Water per Week for Bluegrass
1”
1-1/2”
1-1/2 to 2”
2 to 2-1/2”
2-1/2” to 3”
Other Watering Tips
- Early morning watering is the best time to water. 12 am to 6 am gives you the best water pressure and no evaporation of the water.
- Water run off can start after only 10-15 minutes of watering.
- Water regularly. A wilted lawn will need more water to help it recover.
- Be sure every area is getting enough water. Check to make sure your sprinkler system is watering the entire lawn evenly as needed. Sunny areas, shaded areas, and areas that get a lot of reflected heat from patios and driveways, will all require different amounts of water.
- July & August watering recommendations for every 3rd day watering: I like watering between 12 am to 6 am, and schedule my last watering for that watering day between 9pm to mid-night. This is the best way to handle watering restrictions and hot dry summer heat.
Soil and Grass Types
- Hard Clay Soil may cause water to run-off easily. If water is running-off the lawn, watering your lawn for a shorter period of time and increase the number of watering cycle times per watering day.
- Sandy Soil with low organic matter content will require more frequent applications. Building up the organic matter will improve water storage capacity in the soil.
- Most Lawns have Kentucky Bluegrass in the Denver Area.
- Water Saving Grasses – Dwarf Tall Fescue Grass Blends. Wide blade grass blades and grows in bunches, and looks very rough compared to Kentucky Bluegrass. Dwarf Tall Fescue Grasses are great for secondary lawn areas or if you have a water saving landscape. Dwarf Tall Fescue needs 25-50% less water than bluegrass depending on soil quality.