There are a few key elements to be thinking about when it comes to your property’s sprinkler system, and how long to water grass with sprinklers throughout the spring and summer is a top example. In a place like Utah, with hot and dry summers, proper watering frequency is key – but you also want to avoid overwatering risks that can also waste precious water. 

At Aeroscape, we’re happy to offer a huge range of landscape contractor services for clients around Salt Lake City, Sandy, Draper, South Jordan and nearby areas of Utah, including everything from landscape designers to specific services like sprinkler repair, water features and more. Here are some basic guides on how long to water grass for, both in terms of watering time per station and number of times your sprinklers run per week. 

80 Degrees and Under

For the chunks of time where the Utah spring and summer weather stays below 80 degrees, you will generally not need to run your sprinklers more than two to three times per week. The general goal here should be about half an inch of water per station at each watering (more on per-station watering levels in a bit).

Your watering length for each station will depend largely on which kind of sprinkler head is being used:

• Fan-style pop-ups: For these heads, you can expect about 20 minutes of watering per station to deliver the half inch we just mentioned.

• Rotary heads: Here, you’ll usually need closer to 30 minutes per station for roughly the same amount of water. If your rotary heads rotate to particularly wide ranges and cover lots of ground, this number may increase a bit. 

80 Degrees and Above

Once you get over 80 degrees during the summer, and particularly over 90 and up into the 100s for certain days, you will likely need to increase your watering frequency. This generally means an extra day or two added onto the schedule we just went over, depending on how consistently hot things are.

In addition, you should also be increasing your watering amounts for each station. Our pros recommend that every 10-degree jump in temperature adds about five minutes of per-station watering time (up to a maximum of 40 minutes). So if you’re looking at temperatures in the 90s instead of the 80s, for instance, you’ll want about 30-35 minutes per station instead of the aforementioned 20 and 30-minute estimates.

More Detail on Watering Time and Levels Per Station

For those who really want to get detailed about their sprinklers, there’s a simple method to determine exactly how much water certain areas of your lawn are getting:

• Set out some flat-bottomed cups in various areas of your lawn, then run the sprinklers as usual.

• Measure how much water is in each cup after 20 minutes. If you’re getting half an inch here – or close to it – you’re right on target with our recommended watering times for this temperature and head type combination.

• If you need more than half an inch, either increase your watering time or add another day per week to ensure proper coverage. On the flip side, if you see significantly more than half an inch in most cups, dial things back a bit since you may be overwatering.

Ideally, it’s best to do this early in the morning when temperatures are cooler and there’s less evaporation. This will give you the most accurate read on how much water your lawn is getting. 

Other Watering Considerations

Before we wrap up, a few other important elements to consider:

• Wind: If it’s particularly windy on a given day, hold off on watering until things calm down a bit. The wind can cause uneven watering or even blow some of it away entirely.

• Rain: During rainy periods, don’t forget to turn off your sprinklers or adjust their schedules accordingly.

• Slope: For areas with slopes or inclines, shorter bursts of water may be more effective than longer ones that might run off quickly. 

• Soil type: Sandy soil will generally require more water than clay soil due to its porous nature.

By keeping these factors in mind, you can ensure that your sprinkler system is running efficiently and effectively throughout the spring and summer. And if you ever have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at Aeroscape for expert advice and assistance with all things landscaping. We’re here to help clients around SLC, Sandy, Draper, South Jordan and nearby areas with all their landscaping needs!