I guess I forgot to specify right now, as in early spring, late winter. When
things start to get warmer, I switch to 20 min twice a week. Plus every two
weeks they get a really deep watering and feeding, when I clean the filter
for my pond, and dump two 55 gal drums worth of pond water and muck into the
lawn.

Sameer


"Pam" wrote in message
...
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