In the last post, we discussed watering techniques and today we are going to continue that discussion showing you the steps to determine the amount of water your sprinkler system applies to the lawn. This will help you decide how long you should run your system to apply 1 inch of water each time.1. Set out 3-5 empty cans in a straight line going away from the sprinkler (or sprinkler head). Set the last can near the edge of the sprinkler's coverage.
2. Run the sprinkler for a set time such as 1/2 hour and then measure the amount of water in each can.
3. Each can should contain a different amount of water. Usually, the can closest to the sprinkle will have the most water. The sprinkler pattern must overlap to get an even wetness of the soil. Use this information to find out how long it takes your sprinkler to apply 1 inch of water. For example, if you find the most cans contain about 1/4 inch of water after the sprinkler runs 1/2 hour, it would take 2 hours to apply 1 inch.
Run the irrigation system long enough to apply at least 1 inch of water or until runoff occurs. If runoff occurs first:
1. Stop sprinkler and note running time.
2. Allow water to soak in for 1/2 hour
3. Start sprinkler and if runoff occurs again, repeat above steps until at least 1 inch of water has been applied and allowed to soak into the soil.
Many soils will not take an inch of water before runoff occurs. If this is a problem with your lawn, try using a wetting agent, also called a surfactant, which reduces the surface tension of water making it wetter. This wetter water runs into the soil at a faster rate and goes deeper than water in a non-treated soil.
*This information is courtesy of the Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service.
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