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Category: Sprinkler System

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13 Jul 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Sprinkler System, Watering, Watering Solutions ,

A Bucket Can Show You How Much To Water This Summer

How much should you be watering your lawn this summer is a question I get asked a lot.

The short answer is roughly an hour per week per zone, assuming you are using a standard sprinkler spray head (you can download our free summer watering guide here.)

Where do I get that number?

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Imagine placing a bucket full of water in the middle of your lawn in full sun. If you came back and checked that bucket after a week, you’d find that it has lost about an inch of water. A lawn is no different. Your lawn loses about an inch of water per week during the summer. I recommend an hour per work per zone because a standard spray sprinkler head takes about an hour to put out an inch of water.

When I ask people how long they are watering in the summer, I generally hear “about 30 minutes” which is not long enough. Consider that bucket in the middle of the lawn again. If we are only adding a half of an inch per week (what a standard spray sprinkler head will put out in 30 minutes) while losing an inch per week when we come back at the end of the month, the bucket will have a lot less water. It won’t be empty. But it won’t be enough to keep your lawn thriving through our hot summer months.

As summer progresses, your soil will get progressively dryer, making it difficult for the grassroots to reach down into your soil to get to the water.

If your sprinkler system has rotary heads, you want to be watering about 50% to double the time of standard spray sprinkler heads since rotary heads have to cover twice the area to deliver the same amount of water.

If you enjoy our videos and don’t want to miss them in the future, be sure and subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Also, feel free to share these emails with your family and friends.

And as always, if you are looking for a company to help you get a healthier lawn or starting a landscape project Village Green would love to earn your business.

Founded in 1980, we are a family-owned and operated lawn and landscape company based in Plano, Texas. Call 972-495-6990 or email me Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com for more information.

12 Jun 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Sprinkler System, Watering Solutions , , , ,

The Most Common Problem We See in Bermuda Lawns

I wanted to talk to you today about the most common problem we see with bermudagrass lawns (Underwatering.)

Keep in mind that we’ve had a lot of rain this spring which means the problem stems from being underwatered last summer (and probably many summers before that since it takes a lot to damage bermudagrass lawns.)

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The most common area where we see bermudagrass struggle is in parkways (like today’s video.) Parkways are especially troublesome because they don’t make a sprinkler head covering their rectangular shape (spray heads are circular, so they don’t cover parkways that well.) The example in the video goes beyond sprinkler coverage. This patch of lawn is a classic example of underwatered bermudagrass struggling because of a lack of proper watering.

That is why it is crucial now to make sure your sprinkler system is ready for summer watering. If it is not, your lawn will become stressed when our temperatures start hitting the nineties, and our conditions become drier. If you want to do it yourself, you can find tips on checking your system here. Or give us a call at 972-495-6990 and let one of our certified sprinkler technicians come out for a system check and to help you program your controller for proper summer watering.

10 Jun 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Sprinkler System, Watering, Watering Solutions , ,

Summer Watering Guide for North Texas Lawns

Summer is the season your soil loses the most water, and why we recommend watering roughly an hour per week per zone in full sun.

We recommend that you water in ten-minute bursts two days per week at 2 a.m, 4 a.m., and 6 a.m. during the summer.

Download 2021 Summer Watering Guide

The reason we recommend watering at these times is that it is cooler, which means less evaporation. There is also less wind that can blow the water onto your driveway, sidewalk, patio or street. Also, keep in mind that many of the newer sprinkler controllers have a seasonal adjustment which is easy to use with our watering guidelines. Finally, if your lawn has a lot of shade, you can cut your watering to about a fourth of what we recommend and be fine.

Important Note for Rotary Head Sprinklers and Drip Systems:

If you have rotary head sprinklers (they slowly turn and send out long streams of water), we recommend running twice as long as you would regular sprinklers since it takes them longer to put out the same amount of water. Drip Zones (drip systems work by maintaining a level of moisture in the soil.) We recommend that they run daily or close to it (roughly 10 minutes per day in the summer.) Since various drip lines water slightly differently, it is important to pay attention to your beds to make sure they get the appropriate amount of water.

You can find a how-to video on programming your controller and other helpful lawn and landscape related info in our Video Library.

If you have any questions or need additional help give us a call at 972-495-6990.

20 Mar 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Sprinkler System, Watering, Watering Solutions , ,

This Is How Much You Should Water This Spring

In spring, your lawn and plants are coming out of dormancy from the winter and your soil needs regular watering. One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your lawn health is to not water properly for the season.

In spring, we recommend you water in ten-minute
bursts one day per week at 2 am, 4 am and 6 am.

The reason we recommend watering at these times is that it is cooler, which means less evaporation. There is also less wind that can blow your water onto your driveway, sidewalk, patio or street. Also, keep in mind that many of the newer sprinkler controllers have a seasonal adjustment (set to 50% during spring) which is easy to use with your watering guidelines. Finally, if your lawn has a lot of shade, you can cut your watering to about a fourth of what we recommend and be fine.

Download our FREE Spring Watering Guide
Feel free to share our free watering guide with your family and friends.

Important Note for Rotary Head Sprinklers and Drip Systems

If you have rotary head sprinklers (they slowly turn and send out long streams of water), we recommend running twice as long as you would regular sprinklers since it takes them longer to put out the same amount of water.
Drip Zones (drip systems work by maintaining a level of moisture in the soil.) We recommend that in the spring they run three days per week for 10 minutes. Since different drip lines water slightly differently, it is important to pay attention to your beds to make sure they are getting the proper amount of water. If you have questions or need help with your sprinkler system, give us a call. Proper watering is vital for a healthy lawn and we are always happy to help.

You can find a how-to video on programming your system and other helpful lawn and landscape related info in our Video Library.

If you have any questions or need additional help give us a call at 972-495-6990.

16 Dec 2020
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Sprinkler System , , , ,

Do You Know How Much You Should Be Watering This Winter?

In winter, even though your lawn and plants are dormant, your soil still needs consistent watering to keep it healthy. One of the biggest mistakes you can make with your lawn health is to turn your sprinkler system off during our winter months.

This means in winter, we recommend you water one ten-minute burst one day per week.

Also, keep in mind that many of the newer sprinkler controllers have a seasonal adjustment (set to 20% during winter,) which is easy to use with your watering guidelines. Finally, if your lawn has a lot of shade, you can cut your watering about half of what we recommend and be fine. Shady lawns always need less water than those that get a lot of sun during the day.

Important Note for Rotary Head Sprinklers and Drip Systems.

If you have rotary head sprinklers (they slowly turn and send out long streams of water), we recommend running twice as long as you would regular sprinklers since it takes them longer to put out the same amount of water. Drip Zones (drip systems work by maintaining a level of moisture in the soil.) We recommend that in the winter they run one day per week for 10 minutes. Since different drip lines water slightly differently, it is important to pay attention to your beds to make sure they are getting the proper amount of water. If you have questions or need help with your sprinkler system, give us a call. Proper watering is vital for a healthy lawn, and we are always happy to help.

Proper watering is vital for a healthy lawn, and we are always happy to help. You can also find a how-to video on programming your watering guide on our website or YouTube channel. You can download a copy of our Winter Watering Guide here (be sure and share with your friends and family!)

As always, if you have any questions or need help with your sprinkler system, give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com.

01 Aug 2020
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Dallas Sprinkler Repair, How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Lawn and Landscape Care, Sprinkler System, Watering , , , , ,

Here’s How you Program a Rachio Smart Smart System Controller

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More and more of our customers are using the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller. In this in-depth video Ken takes you through the steps to program your Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller for North Texas. If you have a lawn or landscape problem you need help with give Village Green a call at 972-495-6990 or email us at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. We have been helping our North Texas neighbors have healthier lawns since 1980.

08 Jun 2020
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Sprinkler System, Watering , , , , , , , ,

Summer Watering Guide

Now is the time to program your sprinkler controller for summer watering to make sure your lawn and landscape are getting adequate water coverage.

How much should you water in the summer?

The starting point for our watering plan is summer because that is the season your soil loses the most water. During summer we recommend watering roughly an hour per week per zone in full sun. We also recommend watering in 10-minute bursts, so your lawn has time to absorb the water. If you water more than that, you run the risk of the water running down your street or alley because of our infamous clay soil in North Texas.

This means in summer we recommend that you water in ten minutes bursts two days per week at 2 am, 4 am, and 6 am.

The reason we recommend watering at these times is that it is cooler, which means less evaporation. There is also less wind that can blow your water onto your driveway, sidewalk or street. If you water as recommended, you will have more water that ends up in your lawn, which is both environmentally and financially smart.

Some of the newer controllers have what is called a seasonal adjust section. Those are really easy to use with this system. If you have shady areas in your lawn, you typically need to water about half the recommended time you would in a sunny area.

Important Note for Rotary Head Sprinklers and Drip Systems.

Rotary Head Sprinklers (they slowly turn and send out long streams of water.) We recommend running them twice as long because it takes them longer to put out the same amount of water.

Drip Zones (drip systems work by maintaining a level of moisture in the soil.) They can be tricky because they put out water at different rates, and the water going into the ground can vary based on how the drip hoses are installed. We recommend that they run daily or close to it (roughly 10 minutes per day in the summer.) It is important to pay attention to your beds to make sure they are getting the proper amount of water.

Download Summer Watering Guide

If you need help with programming your sprinkler or have any other issues give us a call at 972-495-6990 or Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. We offer affordable sprinkler repair by our certified irrigation technicians. You can also watch this quick video where Ken shows you how to properly program your sprinkler controller.

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