One of the biggest benefits of having a sprinkler for your lawn is that it can help keep the grass healthy and green. During the summer months, when lawns take a beating from heavy foot traffic and drought-like conditions, sprinklers provide much-needed hydration to struggling blades of grass. Sprinklers also make watering your lawn easier, allowing you to set it up on an automated timer so you don’t have to worry about it. In this article, we will share some tips for your sprinklers and how long to run them.
What is a Sprinkler?
A sprinkler is a device that sprays water in your garden for your grass or plants. There are many types of sprinkler systems ranging from a simple sprinkler that can be attached to the hose in your garden to complex systems that cover huge fields or areas.
Knowing how long to run your sprinkler is important. By excessive watering, you could be wasting water and damaging the health of your lawn. It will make the lawn ground soggy and create an environment for fungus and pests to grow. Whereas running your sprinklers for less amount of time and under-watering could result in your grass turning brown.
How long should I run the sprinkler?
There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration before setting the watering duration for your lawn. These factors should include the type of grass in your lawn, the type of sprinkler and the current season.
Your aim should be to water 1-1.5 inches of water every week for your lawn. This can be achieved by running your sprinkler for 30 minutes three times a week during the cold season. You can double the sprinkling time during summer while keeping the frequency to three times per week. Generally, cool-season grasses require more water than warm-season grasses.
Tips for watering your lawn and running your sprinklers
- Avoid running your sprinklers in the afternoon during hot weather as the water would evaporate before it will be absorbed in the soil. Also, avoid running it in the evening as the lawn would stay wet for a longer period through the night making it susceptible to diseases. The ideal time to run your sprinkler is between 8-10 am.
- Prefer oscillating sprinklers for your lawn. They distribute the water in a rectangular pattern uniformly across the lawn.
- Keep the water pressure from the sprinkler between 40-65 PSI.
- Regularly check the sprinkler head for any debris or dirt that might block the flow of water.
- You can go with a sprinkler system that comes with a rain sensor to stop your sprinklers during or after rains to prevent excessive watering.
- To check if the sprinklers are distributing the water evenly across your lawn you can place a few cans across your lawn and check the depth of water in each can. If they are of equal height in all the cans means different areas of your lawn are receiving equal amounts of water.
In The End
To maintain a healthy, green and low-maintenance lawn, watering it regularly is absolutely necessary. Sprinklers are a great way to water the lawns while saving your time. Once you choose the right schedule and duration for running your sprinklers it is going to be a breeze to water your lawns.