More than half of the water used by Abilene households goes into lawns. Most people water too much and too often. SAVE WATER, MONEY and WORK by following this easy rule of thumb and by knowing these tips.

LAWN WATERING GUIDE

RULE OF THUMB:

One Inch... Once a Week

Once each week, soak your lawn to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.

One inch of water is usually enough.

HOW MUCH IS ONE INCH?

CHECK FOR YOURSELF:

• Set 3-5 empty cans at different distances from your sprinkler.
• Run sprinklers for 30 minutes
• Add the inches of water in all cans. Divide total inches by the number of cans.
• Now you know how many inches of water your sprinkler applies in 1/2 hour.
• Adjust that time to determine how long you'll need to run your sprinkler to apply one inch of water.

REMEMBER:

• Since water tends to run off of heavy clay or rocky soils, you may need to split time into two applications with a few minutes in between to allow water to penetrate.
• Trees and shrubs require less frequent, but deeper watering than lawns. Soak to a depth of 6-8 inches once per month.
• If you normally water a great deal more than this, make changes gradually to allow root system time to adjust.
• Watch for signs of water stress: wilting, yellowing, dry spots. Water more as needed.
• Don't water sidewalks, driveways, or streets. Remember, water down the gutter is money down the drain.
• Water early in the morning to avoid water loss due to evaporation.
• Gradually increase the amount of water over the spring season to reach summer water needs, and gradually decrease the amount of water in the fall as winter approaches.
• In the winter, water only during warm or extended dry periods.
• If skies are cloudy, water about half as much and don't water during the rain! (Most automatic sprinklers have a rain switch so you won't have to reprogram.)

  Keep in mind: different types of grass require different amounts of water.

  GRASS SPECIES	WATER REQUIREMENT	SHADE TOLERANCE
  Buffalograss	Low	Poor
  Bermudagrass	Moderate	Poor
  Zoysia	Moderate	Good
  St. Augustine	High	Good
  Tall Fescue	Very High	Good