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How Many Minutes and How Often Should I Water After
My Moisture Manager Application?
Moisture Manager
is not a replacement for water. It works by extending the drying
cycle
dramatically, when up to 50% of the water evaporates into the
atmosphere.
Once
you water the Moisture
Manager
in, it takes about two weeks to begin working. Water normally for the
first two weeks, then you can cut back.
With Moisture
Manager,
you can either water less frequently (because the evaporation that
occurs during the drying cycle is transferred as droplets to the
plant's roots, so plants don't dry out as fast between waterings), or
you could water just as often, but cut back up to 50% of the required
water (see the next section) when you do water.
Under normal conditions, lawns need about one inch of water a week to
be happy and green.
Here's
how to determine how much and how often to water after Moisture Manager:
Or, scroll down to see the Wilt Test
First,
you need to know how long your sprinklers would need to run to deliver
one inch of water, which is the normal requirement for lawns.
Step
1: Setup and Run
Step 2: Measuring the water
Step3: Calculating the minutes
Once
you water the moisture
Manager in,
wait two weeks, then reduce your frequency of
watering, or cut the run times in half (not both). Set your
timer accordingly
so you water either less often or for less run time.
We
recommend that you water twice a week,
and always have.
Tip: You
can adjust your sprinklers to water the drier areas more by cutting
back on the heads that put out too much water in a given area. Use the
test above to determine how long to water, then locate the fullest
cups. The heads that cover those wetter areas can be turned down,
increasing the pressure to heads that will benefit by the extra water
pressure created.
The Wilt Test
Balance your System
Sprinkling systems water unevenly, but they can be adjusted to minimize any imbalances.
Here's how: The next time you water, mark the date
then shut off the timer. Every day, go out and look at the lawn, looking
for signs of wilt (the grass looks bluish-green and footsteps remain
after five minutes). Before watering again, adjust the sprinklers to
apply more water to that area, either by adjusting the individual heads
or by adding a minute or so to the station that is responsible for that lawn area.
To adjust individual heads, you need to know which heads are
overproducing because of their proximity to other heads. If needed, put
out some Dixie cups and water each station (valve) for a few minutes.
You'll see where more water falls, and where it's needed more to
balance things out.
You can decrease the flow of an
individual sprinkler head using the screw on the top (usually) of the
head. Reduce any overlapping heads in this
fashion; this will increase the pressure to other heads that
would benefit by an increase in coverage.
You can operate your valves from outside if you want using the air bleed
screw on each valve. Some valves don't have a bleed screw, but most
do. Expect some squirting water to exit the bleed screw as you slowly
unscrew it.
As soon as you hear the valve open, stop unscrewing. To stop
the valve, screw in the bleed screw. Be sure not to unscrew the bleed
screw too far as it will come out and a jet of water will blast it out of your hand and it will be lost.
Once balanced, go through a normal watering cycle, then shut off the timer
again and examine the lawn daily for wilt. Readjust heads (or minutes)
then repeat the procedure until you are able to balance things out as evenly as possible (more in the sun).
Doing
the wilt test helps you by watering more evenly and watering less
because water is not wasted on areas that don't need it. It also shows
you how often you should water. Usually, twice a week is often enough.
Mowing
your lawn at the tallest possible setting saves lots of water because
grass stores water in its blades, and the shade provided keeps the sun
from striking the soil.
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