| Season | Months | Guidelines | Notes / Weekly Watering Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late Fall through Winter | November – February | Rainfall is usually adequate. However, during dry conditions, water the lawn to keep it from completely drying out. Water every 2-3 weeks or so in the absence of rain | IMPORTANT: To help minimize freeze damage in your lawn and landscape, water the day or night before any freezes |
| Spring | March -May | Water once or twice per week if less than 1/2″ of rainfall occurs | 1/2” per week recommended. Be careful not to overwater. |
| Summer | June – Early September | Water each section heavily at least twice a week if less than 1″ – 1 1/2” of rainfall | 1″ – 1 1/2” per week recommended |
| Early Fall | Mid-September – October | REDUCE WATER FREQUENCY! This is Brown Patch Season for St. Augustine and Zoysia lawns. Excess water triggers this disease. | Water only as needed! Usually, during these months, you shouldn’t have to water much. During September, water only once per week if no rainfall and every two weeks in October if no rain. |
- Proper watering is critical to your lawn’s health and vigor. Deep and infrequent watering is the best practice. This means wetting the soil to a depth of 4-6″ per irrigation. This equates to about 1/2” of irrigation at a time.
- Actual runtimes vary from yard to yard, but a good baseline would be 20-30 minutes per zone for popups, 40-50 minutes for Rotor heads, and longer for low impact, MP Rotors (Google search MP Rotors if you’re unsure)
- Our soils are heavy clay, which doesn’t absorb water well. Google search ” Cycle and Soak lawn watering” for a beneficial way to set your timer to minimize water runoff and waste.
- Water during the morning rather than in the afternoon or evening.
- Let the turf determine the watering frequency. Since heat, humidity, and rainfall can vary, it’s best to water at the first signs of stress, not on a predetermined schedule.
- St. Augustine turf has poor drought tolerance and requires irrigation to survive during our long hot summers. Save your watering budget for summer, don’t use it during the rest of the year except during dry conditions.
- Reduce runoff by setting your timer to come on multiple times in the same morning. Google “Cycle and Soak” lawn watering for more information.
- Example: Instead of watering a zone for 45 minutes all at once, set a timer on your irrigation system to turn on with 3 different start times, all in the am, for 15 minutes each time. This will minimize runoff and reduce the amount of water wasted.