Snooze wrote:

"Pam" wrote in message
...

snip

4) Water deeply and infrequently. Those 10-15 minute daily cycles of the
irrigation system are a waste of time and a valuable and irreplaceable
resource. Much better to water once a week for 45 minutes - the water will
percolate deep enough to encourage deep root growth and the lawn will
eventually need less water and be more drought tolerant.

Holy cow! 45 minute waterings? Do you wade out to the center of the lawn?
You must live some place really hot and dry. Out here in San Jose, CA, I
water the lawn twice a week for 10 minutes.


A lot depends on the type of lawn and soil conditions you have, but generally,
most lawn grasses require an inch of water per week. I seriously doubt you are
applying a inch of water with 2, 10 minute irrigations. A weekly inch of water
(applied all together, not dabbled out in periodic squirts) will penetrate down
6-8 inches in most soils, deeper in some. This results in a deep root system for
the lawn which is far more beneficial and able to withstand various stresses
than the very shallow root system frequent, short waterings encourage. Most of
what you are applying is evaporating anyway long before it reaches the root
system.

Do a google search under "lawn watering" - pretty nearly every single hit will
reiterate exactly what has been stated. BTW, a 45 minute watering will not
result in any lakes or puddles in any lawn that needs water or that is grown on
any soil other than hardpan - and you probably won't have much of a lawn in that
case, anyway.

pam - gardengal