Question:

How should I water my lawn?

Soaker Hoses

If you can't use sprinklers (for whatever reason), use a soaker hose. A soaker hose is a section of specially constructed hose with small holes throughout the length. The end of the hose is closed off, forcing all of the water through the holes. The amount of water that these things can put out in a short period of time is amazing. They're great for small lawns and lawns planted in sandy soils where the water percolates in rapidly.

Water Deeply, Not Often

Don't water your lawn on a regular basis, unless you are certain that you can also mow, fertilize and monitor pests on a regular basis as well. If your sprinkler goes off every other day precisely at 7:00 am, then you must commit yourself to mowing, fertilizing and scouting for pests on a schedule that is no less precise.

A Watering Primer

Watering your lawn is something that, if not done properly, can do more damage than good. There are three basic concepts that you need to understand in order to irrigate properly.

First is timing. If you water your lawn on a regular, clock-work basis, be prepared to mow just as robotically and scout for pests that much more frequently as well. Watering when your grass needs it encourages drought resistance.

Second is the depth of moisture penetration. You need to moisten (not drench!) the soil to the bottom of the root zone. Between 4 and 6 inches, depending on grass type. In typical soils, one inch of water applied to the lawn will result in moistening the soil down 4-5 inches. Heavier soils will require more water, with some time with the water off to allow percolation. Sandier soils will require less water, but will need it more frequently.

Water In The Morning

Water your lawn in the morning, especially if night time temperatures are cool. Watering early in the morning, between 6:00 and 9:00 increases the likelihood that water percolates into the soil rather than evaporating.

Poor Man's Sprinkler System

You can build your own sprinkler system for a fraction of the cost of expensive, commercially installed systems.

Equipment list:

3 or 4 impact sprinkler heads and the aluminum spikes they attach to.
Enough garden hoses to go between them.
One additional hose for the loop. This one needs to be as long or longer than the other hose lengths added together.
A T-connector with all three outside diameters (OD) matching the inside diameter (ID) of your hoses.
3 screw down hose clamps to fit the hose OD.

Assembly:

Remove the screw-on caps from each spike. Attach a sprinkler head to each spike top and tighten securely.

Screw the male hose end into the female connector on one side of the first spike. Screw the female end of a second hose to the male side of the first spike. Screw the male end of the second hose into the female end of the second spike. Continue until you have connected all of the spikes together.

Connect the female end of the last hose (the "loopback") to the male connector on the last spike. Cut the first hose in half, and cut off the male connector from the loopback hose. Insert the top two ends of the T-connector to each half of the first hose and insert the cut-off end of the loopback hose to the last end of the T.

Set your sprinkler heads where you want'em in the lawn, connect the hose to the water faucet, and let'er rip. The loopback hose helps equalize the water pressure between the sprinkler heads. If you only use two heads, you may not need it. If you use 3, 4 or more and the last head barely trickles, the loopback insures even distribution.

Under Watering

If the grass receives too little water, the plant functions begin to shut down. Chlorophyll production stops, photosynthesis slows to a crawl and growth diminishes. Parts of the plant begin to die, leading the plant to be susceptible to damage from traffic or pests. Water deeply enough to moisten the root zone, and water again as soon as you see signs of stress.

Impact Sprinklers

Use impact sprinklers if you don't have an irrigation system. Impact sprinklers are designed to throw a uniform stream of water in a circular pattern. Overlapping these patterns slightly insures even watering. Other sprinkler types water unevenly or do not throw water fast enough for the water to percolate before it evaporates. A surface with more water on it does not dry as fast as a surface with less water on it. Running an impact sprinkler for one hour usually gets the job done.