SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Mole traps will kill moles. Have a heart trap for groundhogs then relocate them to someone you don't like.

Water and sun needed for good lawn. Good growing medium often overlooked. As stated above a nice deep layer of good growing medium and you'll have a nice lawn. I use top soil, peat moss, compost mix. You can also topdress your lawn - add about a half inch during a dry day. Build it up that way. I also believe in the less is better. Before my system I watered only once a week - worked for me. Since you have run off you need to decrease time. Cycle and soak sounds like a good option.

Bottom line, you will figure it out. I would be more concerned about the mold than dry (dorment?) grass.

Someday I may redo my lawn. I would do it in sections. Kill it with grass killer, turn dirt, put down good medium base, rake it even, roll it to flatten, loosen with pitchfork, seed, fert and water.

slopes are one good reason to do the cycle and soak

Well. Everything is head to head coverage, with 3 heads per zone, 2gpm nozzles in each (1gpm in some). I put the system in, as this was the post

My sprinkler system


The front was the only problem. I tried getting "head to head coverage", which was a success in the backlawn, but was impossible in the front. There are large oak and pine tree roots all over. I was going to put sprinklers on the outside perimeter all the way around, and put a row down the center of the lawn for head to head, but could'nt dig near the outside at all. So, I just centered a row down the middle the best I could to get everything. I might have to water it a few extra minutes, but....it works.



The back is watered very evenly, but needs to be re-seeded, so it looks weedy and a mess right now. The front is the only problem. We do have low water pressure, thats why its 2gpm nozzles and only 3 heads per zone MAX. Maybe 5 heads per zone if I put 1gpm nozzles in all of them, but then i'd have to water longer per zone.



For the front, (at least the small "outfield" I'm trying to water, is there a better 3 sprinklers I can install in place of the Hunter PGP-Ultra's that would water more volume and farther with the water pressure I have?



I will try to water earlier in the morning I guess. 2am start time? And do the cycle irrrigating.

"Use a cycle and soak method of irrigating. Instead of 1 start time of a zone to run for 30 minutes. Split it up... ( within a few hours not through out the whole day) .. 2x 15 min... or 3x 10 min. This allows the water to soak into the dirt and properly apply the correct amount of water the lawn needs instead of creating run off"



The dirt is a pretty good topsoil that was put down last year. It was actually raked in, and had about a good 4-6 inches of topsoil, but that was a nightmare, because even know we had it the same grade as the old stuff before, and we packed it down too, most of it washed away along with the seed. Never again Our whole lawn slopes down hill through some front woods, and down to the road. Raising the level of the lawn and grading it is not an option either. We are lucky its as flat as it is now. Thankfully most of the clay is down about 4". So we will just have to live with the soil we have right now, unless they have some kind of magical "clay loosening fertilizer"

Sounds like you at compensating for a poor designed system. A properly designed sprinkler zone would have better served you.

Watering every day for lawns is not good. Basically the grass roots get use to every day watering so they actually start growing upwards instead of into the ground to create a deep rooted lushes lawn. Then if they don't get the everyday watering of course they go crispy. Understandably when it kicks into the 90's+ sometimes you just have to if you want it lushes green.

It's much better to water deeper less often. As you say though after 30 minutes of run time you are creating run off because your soil cant handle the precip from the sprinklers.

3 things

1- Was your system professionally installed? If not get a company to bid out to renovate your system to ensure you have head to head coverage back to back. This gives you roughly 85% Distribution Uniformity which is basically the best you can get.

2- upgrade your yard. Scalp your grass out, churn up 6" of the dirt- add 2-4" of top soil. Top soil is like a spounge and will help retain the water . You would probably be watering 50% less that what you do now and have the same results with a lushes green yard.

3- Use a cycle and soak method of irrigating. Instead of 1 start time of a zone to run for 30 minutes. Split it up... ( within a few hours not through out the whole day) .. 2x 15 min... or 3x 10 min. This allows the water to soak into the dirt and properly apply the correct amount of water the lawn needs instead of creating run off

I know there are many posts here on this topic, but I just could'nt find and put together what I was looking for. So I searched, and made up my own scheduale, and thought I'd share it!



I am in NJ, and my dirt is very hard, dry, clay. My lawn is in the sun 80% of the day, with the shade only being in the morning. In the past, I use to (before automatic sprinklers) water in the evening about 10 minutes a zone) This created mold in some areas though, and it was still hard as a rock and dry/crisp in the mid-day, plus it was dying. Watered longer, 20 minutes a zone, it stayed green but created mold. I tried every other day, and it crisped.



I now have my automatic system though, with 1gpm and 2gpm nozzles in each head. I figure I would water about 8:00am every other morning for 20 minutes. This created crisp lawn AGAIN! I tried 30 minutes a zone and it would flood water down the driveway and create mud.



I found out that my best scheduale here in NJ is 8:00am (we use water early morning + we have a well pump). I water 20 minutes a zone every day when its regular 80*F out, and when its REALLY hot (90*F-100*F), I do 30 min a zone every day. I have a nice lawn, not soggy in the evening, and its dry before night. No mold or fungus yet! I have 5 zones, so I take a while to water the lawn in the morning.



I have had good results so far with watering usually 20 min a zone(x5) every day. If anyone could think of a better water saving solution, let me know! This post was to give others ideas and help on there own scheduales.



This is my lawn now. I bit spotty in some areas because of groundhogs/moles (<any help with these!) . And some mud spots I still need to put seed down in. But! This is good since its been 100*F for the past week. This result is still 20 min a zone(x5) every day at 8:00am.