How often to water lawn (Austin, Buffalo: how much, house, live)

[womble]

Just bought a house in Lake Pointe, but not moved to the area yet, so unable to monitor weather.
There is a sprinkler system but I don't know what frequency to use at this time of tyear.
Any advice appreciated.

[jread]

I've always heard that your lawn should get 1" of water per week, whether through rain, the sprinkler system, or a combination.

[CptnRn]

I think Lake Pointe is in the Bee Caves area, is that right? The 1" of water per week is sufficient if you have good soil. I expect the soil around Bee Caves is pretty thin and rocky, as it is here in the Oak Hill area. You might need to water more often.

Back when the City allowed us to water every 5 days, that seemed to work pretty well for my St. Augustine lawns. The changes in regulations last summer allowing watering only once ever 7 days resulted large patches of my lawn burning, even though I increased the watering time. The soil in hot sunny areas just didn't seem able to retain moisture that long.

Right now I'm watering twice a week, 10 minutes for the sunny zones and 8 minutes for shrubs and shady zones. I expect I will have to increase that as it gets hotter.

I tested my sprinkler system by setting out containers to measure how much water the system provided, the 10 minute cycle seemed to produce close to an inch of water in the containers.

If your lawns are bermuda, zoysia or Buffalo Grass you can water less.

The City of Austin has some good lawn care guides here: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/growgreen/garden_basics.htm

• Water before the sun comes up
to help prevent fungal diseases
and evaporation
• Water deeply and infrequently to
encourage deeper roots and
prevent thatch
• Water so that the soil is wet to
a depth of 4-6 inches. To achieve
this, you will need to apply 1/2 to 1
inch of water which can be measured
in a small can or rain gauge
• Because water is more likely to
run off clay soils and sloping lots, it
may be necessary to irrigate slowly
or in multiple short cycles to
prevent water run-off
• Allow soil to dry out
between waterings

I don't think that 1/2 inch would be enough unless you have really good soil and one of the drought tolerant grasses.

[atxcio]

That grow green site (CptnRn put up the link) is the absolute best resource I have found for EVERYTHING about gardening in Austin. You can pickup the hardcopies of their books/pamphlets at many nurseries. But the site has all the info, too. How much to water, when to fertilize, what plants and trees are native, how they grow, which side of town they will work best in... all specific to the city.

[womble]

Just checked out the grow green site - definitely an excellent resource. Thanks!

[austinitelookingtohelp]

I don't water my lawn. Everywhere I have ever lived in Austin, the grass always has survived any harsh summers and comes back just as green the next year. I may have just been getting lucky, but I have lived in Austin all my life, so I have weathered a few summers .

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by austinitelookingtohelp

I don't water my lawn. Everywhere I have ever lived in Austin, the grass always has survived any harsh summers and comes back just as green the next year. I may have just been getting lucky, but I have lived in Austin all my life, so I have weathered a few summers .

I other words - you don't have a lawn.

[TexasHorseLady]

Not necessarily. It could be a native grass lawn which is adapted to the area and the climate and survives for that reason.

[bmw88rider]

Exactly. My lawn came back thicker than ever even after the droughts last year. The difference is it's a long standing lawn that has been planted for over 30 years and not new sod so the roots are well established.

[austinitelookingtohelp]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

I other words - you don't have a lawn.

Not correct, I do have a lawn I wouldn't have offered my input if I had nothing to base it on.

Currently I have 1 1/2 acres, but I have had many lawns in smaller residential areas in Austin as well.