If your sprinkler system runs every day, every other day, or every third day, you may be watering too much. Too much water can cause problems for your lawn and plants. It can wash away fertilizer, increase plant diseases, and help weeds grow. Weeds like dollarweed, Virginia buttonweed, and sedges grow well in wet soil. Watering too much also wastes water.

Some people do not water enough. When lawns and plants stay too dry, they can become weak and unhealthy. Dry conditions can also help weeds such as pusley, rustweed, and cudweed grow.

The best way to water is somewhere in the middle—not too much and not too little. Correct watering helps lawns, plants, and gardens grow deep, strong roots.

To help your lawn survive hot, dry weather, change your irrigation timer from automatic to manual. Water only when the grass shows signs that it needs water. Apply ½ to ¾ inch of water each time during early morning hours.

Look for these signs of water need in the evening when the lawn is not under the heat of the day: leaf blades fold – like a book closing, footprints remain in the lawn long after being made and the lawn turns grayish in spots.

When about one-third of your lawn shows these signs, it is time to water. After watering, wait until the lawn shows these signs again before watering another time.

Watering only when needed helps the grass grow deeper roots. Deep roots make lawns stronger and better able to handle insects, diseases and dry weather.

To find out how long your irrigation system should run, you need to measure how much water it puts out. This is called calibrating your irrigation system.

First, collect ten empty cans with straight sides, such as tuna cans.

If you have an in-ground irrigation system, place the cans evenly around the area being watered. Test one irrigation zone at a time.

If you use a hose-end sprinkler, place the cans in a straight line from the sprinkler to the edge of the watering area.

Turn on the water for 15 minutes. Then use a ruler to measure the amount of water in each can. Add the measurements together and divide by the number of cans to find the average depth of water collected.

For example, if the cans collect an average of ¼ inch of water in 15 minutes, your system will need:

• 30 minutes to apply ½ inch of water.
• 45 minutes to apply ¾ inch of water.

You can learn more about lawn watering from your county UF/IFAS Extension Office or online at: https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn-and-garden/lawn-irrigation.

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