Sprinkler: how long would you run them? (Austin: renting, HOA)

[iceman11]

Hi,
as I'm new to Austin and to the locale temperatures I've some doubts in the way I'm using the sprinkler system in the house I'm renting.

The garden is broken in 7-8 zones, with different durations of nightly watering, from 8 to 15 minutes, twice a week (recurrence limited by HOA). Even do the front garden is turning yellow now... and even if this is the zone with the longer setup (15min).

Honestly I've inherited the sprinkler setup from the owner, so I thought it could be right, but while sides and back garden are ok (they've a lot of shade) the front garden is giving me some concerns.

I know every area of the town can be different, and maybe the gras quality as well...but anyone can share experiences? Should I increase again my water bill :-( , or this is just the way it is in summer time (I've got some opinion like..there's nothing I can do)?

Thank you in advance

[motherofthree]

Best thing to do is to put out several tuna cans (or something else with straight sides) in one zone and turn that zone on for 10 min. The measure the amount of water in each can with a ruler and average. That will tell you how long to run each zone. Do this for each zone because they will all be different due to the differences in pressure and different types of spray heads.

You want to water at least 1 inch per week in each zone. One inch should be fine in shady areas but water more in sunny areas. I'm doing 1 1/4 inch since temps are staying around 100.

[neddy]

Also due to the ground not soaking up water I water in 2 cycles about 15 min each time(about 1.5 hours apart) to help get things soaked but brown is a good summer color here which appeared early this year!

[sinking]

Originally Posted by neddy

Also due to the ground not soaking up water I water in 2 cycles about 15 min each time(about 1.5 hours apart) to help get things soaked but brown is a good summer color here which appeared early this year!

I second this.

[10scoachrick]

Two years ago, nearly every house in our neighborhood got a new roof--thanks to the hail storms. The official color suggested by the HOA is commonly called 'Weathered Wood'. If this drought keeps up, that will also be the 'official color' for the lawns around here!

BTW, the tuna cans can actually overflow if the sprinkler rate is very high...would be hard to get an accurate measurement if that happens.

I run the three most 'critical' zones of our yard(out of nine) a couple of hours before the full cycle runs. That gives time for the water to soak in before it gets a second dousing.(At least that's what I think is happening at 5AM...can't say I'm up checking at that time!)

[motherofthree]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

BTW, the tuna cans can actually overflow if the sprinkler rate is very high...would be hard to get an accurate measurement if that happens.

Wow! I don't have any zones that can fill up a tuna can in 10 min. That would be over 1 1/2 inches in 10 min - impressive! Maybe I have different spray heads or lower pressure.

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by motherofthree

Wow! I don't have any zones that can fill up a tuna can in 10 min. That would be over 1 1/2 inches in 10 min - impressive! Maybe I have different spray heads or lower pressure.

I doubt you would want that. That's the scenario where most of that water will run off. It's better to water an inch an hour if you can regulate it. The water will soak in much deeper resulting in deeper roots that will then need less watering eventually.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by motherofthree

Wow! I don't have any zones that can fill up a tuna can in 10 min. That would be over 1 1/2 inches in 10 min - impressive! Maybe I have different spray heads or lower pressure.

That would be a pretty fast sprinkler rate. I was thinking more of the old recommendation of allowing the full cycle to run and then checking the 'tuna can' gauge. I actually prefer the foil packs for tuna ; but some of our doggie's food comes in a similar sized can...those usually hit the recycling bin.

One of our neighbors just installed the 'underground' system for their 'nuisance strip'...talk about hard to measure! Guess the flow rate is pre-set and you just keep an eye on things. Heck, with these 20+ mph winds every watering day, we end up watering our neighbors' yards anyway! Those 'misting' heads are particularly annoying. Gimme a decent spray of water any time, not some eau de cologne atomizer spray that's going to waft down the street in the breeze!

[motherofthree]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

Heck, with these 20+ mph winds every watering day, we end up watering our neighbors' yards anyway! Those 'misting' heads are particularly annoying. Gimme a decent spray of water any time, not some eau de cologne atomizer spray that's going to waft down the street in the breeze!

I agree! I try to change my watering days to match the forecast of calm wind days but that's proving to be difficult. They are either wrong about the wind forecast - like this morning or it's just windy all the time.

[neddy]

set the sprinkler system to go off about 3-4 am when the winds are low.