<p>[[{"fid":"103","view_mode":"default","type":"media","attributes":{"style":"float:left;margin:0 5px 5px 0;","alt":"Watering gauge to measure sprinnkler&#039;s water use","title":"Watering gauge to measure sprinnkler&#039;s water use","class":"adaptive-image media-element file-default"}}]]You may have heard the phrase &quot;water lawns 1 inch a week.&quot; While this is a good rule of thumb, it is based on your lawn&rsquo;s water needs as averaged throughout the year.&nbsp;</p><p>Our typical Pacific Northwest summers tend to be long, hot, and dry with rainfall at a minimum.&nbsp; Therefore, it is likely that your landscape may require more water during the summer months and less water during the spring and fall months when the weather tends to be rainier and cooler.</p><p>The key to watering efficiently is to frequently adjust the amount you water throughout the growing season as the weather and your plant&rsquo;s water needs change.&nbsp;</p><h2>To Do This You Will First Need To Know</h2><ul><li>how quickly your sprinkler distributes 1 inch of water<a href="#footnote1">&sup1;</a></li><li>set a <a href="http://www.conserveh2o.org/program-your-sprinkler-system">base schedule</a></li><li>and adjust the watering schedule on a weekly basis using the Consortium&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.conserveh2o.org/weekly-watering-number">Weekly Watering Number</a></li></ul><h2>Four Easy Steps To See How Long It Takes Your Sprinkler To Water An Inch:</h2><ol><li>Place two Consortium watering gauges at two different places within your sprinkler&rsquo;s spray range.&nbsp; Then run your sprinkler for 15 minutes<a href="#footnote2">&sup2;</a>. (You may also use a tuna can and a ruler to conduct this test)</li><li>Find the average amount of water (in inches) collected in your gauges.&nbsp; To do this, measure the amount of water in each gauge.&nbsp; Add these amounts together and divide by two.&nbsp;&nbsp; This is the average&nbsp; amount of water your sprinkler puts out in 15 minutes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />(This will provide you with a good guideline amount.&nbsp; For increased accuracy, repeat steps 1 &amp; 2 several times, placing the gauges at different distances from your sprinkler.)</li><li>Use this chart to see how much time it will take you to water one inch.<br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="graph"><thead><tr><th class="first open"><span class="th">Average water<br />depth after<br /><strong>15 minutes</strong></span></th><th class="open" style="text-align: center">&nbsp;</th><th class="last"><span class="th">Total time needed<br />to water<br /><strong>1 inch</strong></span></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="first open"><td class="first">1/8&quot;</td><td>=</td><td class="last">120</td></tr><tr class="open"><td class="first">1/4&quot;</td><td>=</td><td class="last">60</td></tr><tr class="open"><td class="first">1/2&quot;</td><td>=</td><td class="last">30</td></tr><tr class="open"><td class="first">3/4&quot;</td><td>=</td><td class="last">20</td></tr><tr class="open last"><td class="first">1&quot;</td><td>=</td><td class="last">15</td></tr></tbody></table></li><li>Set your <a href="http://www.conserveh2o.org/program-your-sprinkler-system">base schedule</a>. We recommend watering 2 times per week, either before 10 a.m or after 6 p.m when temperatures are cooler.<br /><br />For example, if after 15 minutes your gauges have 1/2 an inch of water in them, you will need to water a total of 30 minutes per week to get the recommended 1 inch.<br /><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="graph"><thead><tr><th class="first">&nbsp;</th><th>M</th><th>T</th><th>W</th><th>T</th><th>F</th><th>S</th><th class="last">S</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td class="first">Minutes</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>15</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>15</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td class="last">&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></li></ol><h2>Take The Next Step:</h2><p>If you have an automatic sprinkler system, you will need to program this <a href="http://www.conserveh2o.org/program-your-sprinkler-system">base schedule</a>&nbsp;into your sprinkler&rsquo;s controller.&nbsp; Then you can use the <a href="http://www.conserveh2o.org/weekly-watering-number">Weekly Watering Number</a> to fine tune your system&rsquo;s settings to water your landscape as efficiently.</p><h3>Notes:&nbsp;</h3><p><a name="footnote1"></a><span class="notes">&sup1;&nbsp;&nbsp; An established lawn needs about 1 inch of water each week and more during hot, dry spells.&nbsp; However, water needs vary from </span><a class="notes" href="/low-water-use-plants">plant to plant</a><span class="notes">, so it is best to check with your local garden center or landscape professional on your plant&rsquo;s specific watering needs.</span><br /><a name="footnote2"></a><span class="notes">&sup2;&nbsp; If run-off occurs, you will need to run your sprinkler for a shorter time&nbsp;period so that you are applying only the amount of water that your soil can </span>absorb<span class="notes">.&nbsp;Use watering gauges to figure out how much water your system distributes during this time, and then figure out&nbsp;how many times you will have water each week to put down the recommended 1 inch per week.</span></p>