Atwood LawnCare

Proper watering of your landscape is the most important cultural practice there is to maintain the health of your plants. Yet many people do not give it the importance it deserves. No amount of fertilizer or any other practice will improve the quality of your landscape if it does not receive proper irrigation.

Here is the rule of thumb when checking your landscape soil for proper moisture:
Every master gardener and landscaper will tell you the only sure way to know if a landscape is getting the proper irrigation and drainage is to dig down adjacent to the root system and feel the soil. Wait 2 days after a rainfall before checking the soil moisture. Squeeze a handful of soil and observe the moisture. If the soil holds together like a cast of your palm the moisture level is good. If it crumbles after opening your hand it’s too dry. If water begins dripping out of your hand it is too wet.

What you need to know about your sprinkler system
Most professional sprinkler companies install the same types of nozzles on their mist heads. Most nozzles are capable of spraying 3 gallons of water per minute. Therefore a mist head zone that is set to run for 15 minutes equates to 45 gallons of water being applied around each nozzle. If 5 mist heads are on that zone you have now applied 225 gallons of water! Check the coverage and observe if the overlap is too much or too little.

Setting the landscape sprinkler system for established landscape plantings
Never water your landscape in the evening or at night. Plant diseases begin to occur rapidly when moisture sits on plant leaves for at least 4-6 hours. Your landscape only requires a thorough watering 2-3 times a week during 75 degree and above weather so the below listed guidelines are suggested as a starting rule for your landscape system when the temperatures are above 75 degrees.
o Set landscape mist head zones between 8-10 minutes per zone
o Set the days to water for just 3 days a week with a couple days between each watering.
o If rain is expected turn your sprinkler clock to “rain delay”. Rain sensors don’t always work as they should and your plants are too valuable to let them drown.

Setting the landscape sprinkler system for newly planted landscapes
Please do not water your new landscape as you would water new sod. It is important to note that tree root balls are much harder to saturate then the shrub root balls which have been grown in light container soil. Watering the entire landscape to saturate a tree will end up drowning the shrubs or conversely, watering the shrubs lightly and regularly will hamper the trees ability to establish and thrive. Use your sprinkler system for the shrubs using the same sprinkler settings that are listed above for established landscapes and lay a hose at the base of your trees where water can slowly saturate. New plants need weekly watering thru-out the summer, but don't let them drown either!