What times should I set my irrigation system to?

Question

i am wondering what times would be best for watering freshly planted grass. I have a irrigation system and i want to tunr it on 4 times a day. I live in Manitoba. what times would be best to turn the system on.

Answer 1

You should never water new grass in the heat of the day due to burning and you should never water late at night due to mold setting in on new grass. That leaves early morning hours to be the best of all.

Be sure to cover the seed with something so it doesnt wash away.

Hope you have great fall grass.

Answer 2

Yes, freshly planted with need frequent irrigation.  I'd start early a.m. after the sun is up. Again before Noon.  The third is tricky as it will depend on your afternoon temps, wind and humidity.  The fourth I'd do about an hour before sundown.

Disease is always a concern and that last irrigation will be tricky.  If you are heavily shaded or not very good air circulation over the lawn (walls, shrubbery, etc) then I'd not water an hour or two before sundown.  Obviously that will affect the #3 irrigation.  

How long to water depends on your sprinkler system, the head delivery, pressure, flow and overlap.

Answer 3

Four times a day should suffice for your area.  Your controller probably has four start times per program, however as a side note, you could also use the controller's other programs to water the grass as well.  Three programs could give you 12 start times, oye vey, but just stick to four.

Watering during the day does NOT burn the grass (see link below).  Even on extremely hot days, golf courses will often sprinkle the grass during the day for very brief periods.  This is called syringing, which reduces heat stress.

Set your controller to water the grass around 7 AM, then 11 AM, 2 PM, and then 5 PM.  Be sure NOT to water so long as to wash seed away.  This time will vary with types of sprinklers and how much water they apply.  So at first, watch.

After your grass begins to get established, begin to remove start times until you end up with just one in the morning.  And then you will also begin to cycle to an every other day watering schedule, or even every three days.