Along with having a great lawn service, watering is a crucial element of a successful St. Ausustine or Zoysia grass lawn in the Tampa area. Watering is probably a bit more involved than you might think. This article dives in and takes an in-depth look at properly watering your lawn in Florida.

Watering is a Must! In Times of Drought, During the Rainy Season, and Even in the Winter Season

As a lawn care company, by far the most commonly asked question by a Tampa homeowner regarding their lawn is, “How often and for how long should I water my St. Augustine grass or Zoysia grass?” This is the most difficult question to answer because there are so many variables to consider when you properly water a home lawn; for example: Is the lawn newly installed? What season is it? What type of soils do you have? In order to begin to answer, it is important to first understand the philosophy behind watering.

Proper Watering Philosophy

The most beneficial approach to watering a home lawn is encapsulated by one phrase: “deep and infrequent”. Quite simply, this phrase implies that we need to water less often and use more water during those infrequent watering cycles. This watering philosophy is in direct contrast to what we quite often witness, which is “shallow and frequent”. This improper watering program provides the plant with a little water on a daily basis allowing the plant to become complacent, and a complacent plant stops searching for water. The end result is a plant with a shallow root system, more susceptible to drought and drought stress.

A longer or deeper approach to watering is ideal because the ultimate goal is to perfectly fill the holding capacity of the soil profile. Anything more is wasteful; anything less is not optimal. The plant should induce root growth in order to “chase” the water as it slowly leaches through the soil profile. By applying a proper “deep and infrequent” irrigation philosophy to your home lawn watering schedule, you are effectively promoting the development of the plant’s best defense against drought; a deep root system.

How Often and For How Long

As we cover this topic, be mindful that each irrigation system is different. Major components of the irrigation system can differ dramatically; For instance, the precipitation rates (inches of water applied in a given amount of time) vary from spray heads to rotors or from the nozzle of one manufacturer to another, with one putting down more water than the other in the same amount of time. Unfortunately, we cannot account for all of this in a short article. Instead we will make some very general recommendations for run times that are appropriate for our customers in the Tampa Bay area. Irrigation adjustment and performance can be approached in a very specific and scientific manner. For optimal results you may want to contact a licensed irrigation contractor for your own site-specific recommendations.

Sprayhead (left) and a rotor (right) apply water at different rates. Run times vary to put down the same amount of water between the two devices.

Understanding the proper philosophy behind watering is important. It provides us with the first clue as to how often and for how long the lawn should be watered. In the warm months when the grass is actively growing and where the grass is well established, we recommend watering every third day for 45 to 60 minutes per zone. In most cases this is a good starting point to develop a water management program for your lawn.

From here it is important to consider the other external factors that are critical as you continue to refine your water management program. The first is soil type.

Soil Type

The soil composition is important because it will help define how quickly the water will move into and through the profile, directly affecting the “infrequent” aspect of our watering equation. Florida soils exhibit surprising diversity, so once again please keep in mind that we are trying to speak in a broader sense on the matter of our geography. In the Tampa, Florida area we tend to have sandy soils that leach (or percolate) water quickly through the soil profile. Generally speaking, with sandy soils watering every third day usually provides water to the lawn at the point when it really needs it, when the leaf blades are just starting to show visible signs of drought stress. ** It is important to remember that you never want more than 30% of your lawn to exhibit signs of drought stress at any one time. Should this happen, it is important to increase the frequency or duration of your watering. Conversely, when irrigating every third day yields water puddling and/or gathering in low areas, this may be a sign of heavier, more organic soils with slower percolation rates and the time between irrigation events should be lengthened and perhaps runtimes shortened.

Additional factors may also affect the frequency and duration of irrigation, including seasonality, wind, slope or grade of the area, exposure to the sun, air temperature, and even the turf-type installed.

Drought or Dry Season

Florida’s dry season is between November and May with the majority of the State’s annual rainfall occurring in the months between June and October. The dry season is the time to ensure the irrigation system is set accurately to reduce turf loss resulting from drought stress. It is also the time of the year that the small gaps and inefficiencies in your irrigation system become noticeable, where they might have otherwise been masked by natural, supplemental rain fall. It is a good idea to have your irrigation system checked prior to the dry season.

The initial signs of drought stress include the folding of the leaf blade along the center-line and the leaching of color from its leaf blades. As the plant suffers without water, the leaf blades continue to leach color until they are no longer green and have turned almost completely white. The longer the plant is without water, the greater the risk of losing turf due to drought stress. The whiter the leaf blade, the less likely the grass is to recover.

As the plant continues to go without water, the leaf blade will begin folding up along its center-line. Use this characteristic to let the grass tell you when it is ready to be watered.

Rainy Season

A common misconception by homeowners is that during the rainy season in Florida they can turn their irrigation systems off and allow Mother Nature to take over. While there is some truth to this to ensure against drought stress, a good turf manager must watch the rain patterns all year around. As the rainy season progresses, the plant’s roots tend to shorten due to the excess of water from the daily rain showers. When the plant’s roots are short, it is most susceptible to drought stress and can show symptoms of drought stress in less than 48 hours from the last watering. In fact, most of the phone calls we receive during the rainy season regarding potential problems are a result of drought stress. The occurrence of a 3- or 4-day dry period after many weeks of daily rains can quickly induce drought stress on grass that is accustomed to receiving frequent shallow watering. While the rainy season provides us with free water on a regular basis, it is also a time to be vigilant about watching the water fluctuations in order to properly adjust our irrigation systems.

Winter Season

Homeowners commonly ask if it is necessary to water during the winter months, and the simple answer is “yes”. The rate at which the grass grows is directly related to soil temperatures. As the ambient air temperature gets colder, so does the temperature of the soil. As the soil temperatures get colder, the grass’s physiological response is to stop or slow its foliar growth. In some cases desiccation of the leaf blades is seen. This reduction of growth and leaf desiccation is commonly referred to as dormancy. While the grass is in various states of dormancy as the fall starts and winter progresses, it is still important to water. A reduced watering schedule of one watering per week at 45 to 60 minutes per zone is usually sufficient at this time of the year, although it is always important to remain vigilant for signs of drought stress. It is also beneficial to turn off your irrigation system when frost is imminent. The less soil moisture there is at the time of frost, the warmer the soil will remain and the less susceptible the plant will be to frost damage.

Timing

The final question to answer as it relates to watering a home lawn is when to water. The simple answer is between the hours of 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. During this time period, the lawn tends to be moist naturally from the dew settling on the turf canopy. Artificially extending this period of moisture through irrigation can create a condition in the lawn that is conducive to disease. Additionally, watering during this time is more efficient, as more water is lost through evaporation in the heat of the day than at night.

As a cautionary note, when you set the system to run at night, week in and week out, you are not likely to notice any issues in the system. Broken heads, geysers, or misaligned nozzles can run for months if not checked periodically. For this very reason, it makes sense to turn on and inspect your system at least monthly to make sure it is in good condition. This can prevent soaring water bills and damaged landscape.

Check your spray heads and rotors at least quarterly to make sure they are adjusted and functioning properly.

Watering Newly Sodded Turf

Watering a newly sodded lawn requires an altogether different approach. The period of time from the sod installation to its being fully rooted is commonly referred to as the “grow-in” period. One way to relate water management principles of a grow-in is to compare it to weaning a baby off of a bottle. The ultimate goal is to slowly wean the baby off the bottle until the he no longer needs it (or in this case, barely needs it). A slow and progressive reduction minimizes the withdrawal symptoms and stress while gradually adjusting down the exorbitant need for water. The lawn will always need some water to survive; however, we want to reduce the amount of water supplied to the lawn during the grow-in process gradually over time until the grass is conditioned to a regular, more limited watering pattern.

Upon planting, the newly laid sod has a very limited root system so it will dry out quickly. Therefore, it is suggested that you water every day for up to 30 days. Run times will vary based on the specifics of your system, so use the chart below as a general guide. Daily watering allows and encourages the sod to lay roots quickly without the risk of them drying out during the critical establishment period. A significant rain event usually will suffice in lieu of an irrigation event. After this initial daily watering period, it is important to slowly wean the grass off such frequent water to prepare it for a normal watering schedule. This is best accomplished in stages, and the approach gradually introduces stress to the turf in a managed and progressive fashion.

Suggested 60-Day New Sod Irrigation Establishment Schedule

Watering Restrictions

This article does not discuss the implications that local and state watering restrictions might have on your watering schedule. Please check your local and state restrictions before deciding how to program your irrigation system. Regulations change with more frequency than you might imagine so it is a good idea to review them periodically. If you have reclaimed water the regulations also may be different. For helpful links on this matter see this article.

Know When to Hire a Professional Irrigation Contractor

Developing your understanding of watering your home lawn is helpful in insuring that you protect your investment. However, it is also important to recognize when you need the services of a professional irrigation contractor. Remember that an irrigation system is made of plastic, metal, and rubber components that move in conjunction with one another, and in the harsh outdoor environment of Florida it is only reasonable to expect these components to deteriorate. This inevitably means that systems will need adjustments and minor repairs from time to time. We recommend at a minimum an annual system check. If you are not capable of performing this check, you should call a professional. It is best to perform the system check to find deficiencies prior to the dry season, before your lawn is in jeopardy.

Above: A spray head is not popping up tall enough to spray over the Zoysia grass, and the area the spray head is not covering is creating a localized dry area in the lawn.

Although Green Solutions is not a licensed irrigation contractor, we have developed long-standing relationships with irrigation contractors that have been carefully vetted for professionalism and the skills necessary to install and service irrigation systems. In many cases we have already arranged for significant discounts or free consultations with these companies. Please call our office if you would like a referral.

-- Green Solutions Lawn Care & Pest Control is an award-winning provider of lawn care and pest services in the Tampa Bay area. Our staff boasts two university educated turf agronomists and a university educated horticulturist. We offer fertilization, weed, insect and disease control programs for residential and commercial clients. We also offer general household pest control services. We have developed “GREEN” options for most of our services. We happily provide free estimates.

******** 813-684-7336 ********