I found a great article on watering lawns put out by the Univ. of Missouri. It should obviously also apply to gardens.
Here are some highlights.
– Use a timer. “Some studies have shown that the average homeowner applies 2.5 times the amount of water that is required” Use a small can to measure how much water is applied to the area.
– “Most soils in Missouri will infiltrate only about ¼ to ½ inch of water per hour. If your sprinkler system delivers more than that amount, move it to a different location more frequently.”
– “Dormant lawns should receive at least 1 inch of water every two or three weeks during summer to prevent complete turf loss.”
– “Best time to water a lawn is from 6 to 8 a.m.”
– The table below is what the author sent me. The article’s table is wrong.
|
Lawn type |
Green Turf1 |
Dormant Turf2 |
| Perennial ryegrass |
1.5 |
1.0 |
| Kentucky bluegrass |
1.2 |
0.7 |
| Tall fescue |
0.8 |
0.5 |
| Zoysia or bermuda |
0.5 |
0.2 |
| Buffalograss |
0.3 |
0.2 |
| 1Lawn remains green and growing 2Lawn may turn brown, but will not die |
||
Here’s the entire article:
Butterfly Gardening 