Watering Tips

Though New Image Landscape and Pools LLC can fix you up with your dream landscape, we can’t be there all the time to ensure everything looks great. With this in mind, here is a brief overview of how you should water your grass and plants in your new landscape design:

Sod: One of the most important things you can do to maintain the beauty of your landscape design is water your sod properly.

  • The Initial Period (7-14 Days): To begin, you must water your new sod everyday for a period of seven to fourteen days. Remember to set your timer to water two to four times a day, depending on the temperatures and the time of day; continue watering like this until the grass begins to green up, and your lawn looks ready to cut.
  • Watering ProgressionNext, you must begin the cycle that will ensure your lawn stays healthy for a long time. Your first step in this necessary watering progression is allowing the grass to dry out for a three to four day period. Once this is done, cut your grass for the first time, and then water for a fifteen to twenty minute period to minimize the shock of cutting. Your next step should be to reprogram the timer to water three times a day, using the maximum allowable watering time on every third day (you will know if you used the maximum allowable watering time if there is excessive water run off or excessive water pooling. Make sure to account for slopes and/or over spray). Next, increase the amount of watering being applied, and increase your watering interval—changing from every third day to every fourth day, and so on—until we reach our goal of watering every seventh day. Once this is achieved, determine your soil saturation.
  • Maximum Allowable Watering:Once this progression is completed, it is a good idea to let your grass and plants dry out for a seven-day period*. Then, activate each individual watering zone, and allow those zones to run for the maximum allowable run time to determine the soil saturation of your sod. When you begin to notice excessive water run off or water pooling, you will then know that the soil is no longer accepting water—the time it takes to reach this point is that particular zone’s maximum allowable watering time. Note this for each zone, as that will be the time you need to water each zone from here on out. Set the timer to repeat the maximum watering time as many times as you can within a twenty-four to thirty hour period, not confined to a single day. IMPORTANTDo not water during peak daylight hours (11:00am to 3:00 PM), or you will lose 40% of the water being applied. Furthermore, allow 4 to 5 hours between watering applications to allow for water penetration.
  • Remember; watering your new sod is a long and evolving process, so it is important to understand each and every step that is involved. Do not waver from the above directions, and you will be just fine.

* Do not allow grass or plants turn yellow or blotchy. Doing so will damage the grass, and cause your lawn to lose its natural beauty.

General Scheduling Information

Target Times for Heads or Drip Zones:

  • 4” pop-up heads should be utilized for 10 to 20 minutes, and are the most common head for lawns.
  • PGP heads should be activated for 20 to 45 minutes. Normally used for large turf areas
  • Drip zones should be active for 1 hour to 2 hours.
  • Make sure you schedule your heads and drip zones regularly, as sporadic watering is not good for your landscape. You also should set up your watering schedule around the days that you cut. An example schedule may be Friday and Saturday, at 5:00am, 6:00pm, and 12:00pm.
  • Overall, the long term goal is to have your watering schedule be identical for both your plants and grass. Obviously this is impossible at first, as the initial schedules are different; however, once your initial watering periods are over, it is best if you have plants and sod being watered under the same programs and schedule.

Fertilization

  • Apply fertilizer for the sod at the rate of 10 to 15lbs per 1000 square feet every thirty days to maintain green color.
  • A good all-purpose fertilizer for both plants and lawn would be AZ Best 16-8-8

Granite:

  • To keep your granite looking nice and new, spray all granite areas with water every day for a period of two weeks to remove granite dust.
  • Then, use a large push broom to grade the granite every thirty days. This will ensure a gorgeous backyard and patio.

Cacti:

Though a cacti need is not as great as your sod, it is still important to water your cacti every thirty days with one gallon of water.

  • If you have saguaros, never water them at their base. Instead, use a misting system to initially mist the body for a two-week period. This simulates natural rain, which will keep your cactus healthy.
  • Ocotillo should be treated with B-1 once every two weeks. Furthermore, use a misting system to water, like with the saguaro. The objective is to simulate rain.

Trees, Shrubs, and Ground Covers

Spring:

  • If your plants were planted in the spring time, water your new plants three times a day, every day, for a period of 7 to 10 days.
  • Once this time period is over, turn the timer off and let the plants dry out for four to five days.
  • Next, perform the soil saturation evaluation, as described in the sod section.
  • Once you have determined the soil saturation, reprogram your timer so that it runs every fourth day, three times a day. The water should run between 1.0 to 1.5 hours during each watering application; this schedule should be maintained until the temperatures drop below 100 degrees on a consistent basis.
  • Once this occurs, you will need to adjust the schedule to accommodate the plants throughout the winter months. Base this schedule upon the winter temperatures, and volume of rainfall.
  • Finally, once spring and summer come once more, switch your schedule to the flood irrigation concept described above, under sod watering techniques.

Summer:

  • If you plant your plants during summer, you must water your plants every day, three times a day, for a period of 10 to 14 days.
  • On the 10thor 14th day, depending on the greenness of your plants/lawn, switch your watering cycle to every other day, while increasing the time by twenty-five percent. Follow this schedule for an additional 10 days.
  • Next, let the plants dry out for a five to seven day period. Perform soil saturation evaluation once completed.
  • Using your saturation evaluation time, program the timer to water every fourth day, three times a day, until the summer is over.
  • Then, customize your programming based on rainfall and temperatures during the fall months.

Palm Trees:

  • Do not fertilize your palm trees within the first six months. If the trees are not looking perky, you may apply a mild B-1/root stimulator treatment; however, any more may hurt the tree itself.
  • After six months, start a fertilization program with AZ Best 16-8-8, combined with Manganese Sulfate or a Palm food mixture. Repeat as needed.

In the end, just know that the above information is simply a general guideline. Most lawns are different, so you may have to change based on the plants or grass that you have; fortunately, if anything does NOT apply to these above standards, our experts here at New Image Landscape and Pools LLC will be happy to help you craft a watering schedule for your landscape with little to no difficulty.

For more specific advice concerning the watering of your landscape, feel free to call New Image Landscape and Pools at 480-654-4422, and we will gladly help you out with any concerns you may have! Happy watering!