When it comes to conserving water within your lawn and landscape sprinkling system, you must know the soil conditions that you are working in. Many people do not understand how soil conditions can affect the absorbency, run off and saturation of water when irrigating. Your soil type dictates how often and how long your irrigation system should run.
If run times are too long, you may loose much of your water to runoff. If run times are too, short the water may not be reaching the root zone of your plant material or turf grass.
Three main elements
- Sand
- Clay
- Silt (loam)
The combination of these three determine how your soil absorbs water and how quickly it dries out. The ratio between the three can vary not only by region, but also within your own property. For example, it’s possible that your flowerbeds were built with a different mix of soil than your lawn. This may mean that different areas of your property require different watering times or schedules. We want to avoid overwatering because it will cause puddling, runoff or even erosion. Underwatering for obvious reasons is not healthy either for your plants and grass.
In addition, the weather and the type of plant material also play a part in how much water needs to be applied. Sometimes the best way to figure things out is through trial and error. In order to use your water wisely you must find the balance between these variables and adjust your watering schedule accordingly throughout the seasons.
Call upon a local service provider for a consultation or an assessment if you need more help to determine your soil conditions and how much water is needed to keep a healthy lawn and landscape.