sprinkler system

[simba20]

So we were lucky that the house we bought (back in June) is outfitted with a sprinkler system -- it was a builder thing, every house in the neighborhood has them.

Anyway, when we moved in, we figured with the way the previous owners took care of the house (ummm many do-it yourself projects gone wrong) and they way the backyard was busted up to fit the above ground pool they installed, it wouldn't work.

The house sat empty from January until we moved in during June. Needless to say, the yard, combined with a hot hot summer doesn't look too good. I figured it woul dbe something I'd call some lawn care people about. The front yard is dry and yellow. The backyard is okay, due to runoff.

So tonight I puttered around in the garage and played around with the sprinkler system box. I was surprised to find that it WORKS!!!! So I gave it a test run once I found it worked.

So now, I'd like to know what kind of schedule I should have it on? My thoughts were to water everyday for 4 days straight at 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. and then move it to every other day or every couple of days and watering it once per day then. I am only watering it twice a day for the first two weeks, as it is so dry and scraggly. Later, when it cools down, the hubster and i plan of aerating it and adding fertilizer in the Fall...

Any other ideas? Suggestions?

 

[Straycat]

We have TruGreen come out regularly to fertilize our lawn. They tell us to water each zone for about 45 minutes, in the early AM, twice a week. I believe you should not water at night because leaving the top soil wet for that many hours can cause lawn fungus.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

First identify your grass. That will lead you to how you should correct your lawn and water properly.

Watering at night is not good. It does promote fungus growth.

You need to water earlier than 7am. I would start at 5 or 6am and water daily while you are having hot weather.

There is really no need to water twice daily unless you have overseeded or are in the midst of active repair.

 

[golfgal]

Our lawn guy says to water well, soak the lawn, once/week. If you water more often the roots are too shallow and can't withstand the heat and dry conditions. Also, don't cut your grass too short-put your mower on the highest setting. Your lawn will look beautiful. You should also aerate your lawn once or twice/year. You should water in the morning.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

We are about 6 hours south of you in Pensacola. Here, we need to water every day during the hot months. During July/August, each zone watered for about 45 min. Now, we have backed it off to 25 min. We run our sprinkles at 5:45 am. You don't want to water at night.

Be aware, daily water can have a big impact on your water bill. We luckily have a well for our sprinkler system, but neighbors regularly have a $300+ water bill in the summer.

 

[HM]

We water three times a week at 6 am. The times for the sections are between 13 and 25 minutes depending on the kind of sprinkler head and the amount of area those sprinklers cover, with the long times going for the larger sections. The system has a gauge that stops the system from going if there has been sufficient rain in the days before it's suppose to run.

We pay our water every two months. During the summer it funs from about $180-$280 for the two months. After November (when the system is shut off) we pay about $75 for two months.