How To Water Your Lawn
In the not too distant past, many of our rivers had healthy fish populations including herring, shad and brook trout, all of which depend on flowing water. Today, many of the fish species in the Ipswich River are those adapted to stagnant water or ponded conditions. Many resources have been used to improve conditions to help restore native fish species as well as to improve the quality of the water. However, without an adequate quantity of water, these efforts will be wasted.
Here are a few things to think about before you begin to water your lawn
Use a sprinkler with a coarse spray. With a fine mist sprinkler, much if the water will be lost before it hits the ground.
Sprinklers vary. A sprinkler attached to a 3/4 –inch garden hose usually applies a smaller volume of water than a permanent irrigation system, and may have to be left in one place for 2 to 3 hours to thoroughly wet the root zone. Automatic irrigation systems usually apply much larger volumes of water in a given time, so you have to be careful not to over-water. To determine the amount of water being supplied by a sprinkler, place shallow, straight-sided cans (such as tuna cans) in a grid pattern around the sprinkler. Ideally, apply one inch of water to the lawn once per week or one-half inch of water twice per week. Use your measurements as a guide to determine how long a sprinkler should remain on in a given area. Remember: it is better to remain on the dry side of proper irrigation, rather than risk the adverse effects of over-watering grass.
Account for rainfall. When we receive one inch of rain in a week, there is really no reason to water the lawn. Install a rain sensor on your irrigation system that will prevent the system from coming on when it has rained, and manually override the system if rainfall is predicted.
For in-ground sprinkler systems, make sure they are designed to deliver water as uniformly as possible and invest in good quality sprinkler heads that provide the lowest possible evaporation rates. Make sure to keep the heads in good repair. For systems controlled by a time clock, adjust the zone run-times throughout the irrigation season as the weather and length of sunlight changes. Generally, doing this three or four times a season will do the trick in most areas.