Watering Guidelines for Colorado Springs’ Lawns
| Season | Months | Guidelines |
| Late Winter | January, February | Use hose and water once per month if we are getting minimal snowfall. Water on days 50 degrees or warmer when there is no snow cover and wind is nonexistent. Apply mid-day so water can soak in before possible freezing at night. |
| Spring | March, April, May | Use hose and water each area for 45-55 minutes. It is best to do this when temperatures are above 50 degrees when there is no snow cover and wind is nonexistent. Apply mid-day so water can soak in before possible freezing at night. Once you have activated your irrigation system: Water 1-2 times per week using a “cycle & soak” (see below) method of watering to minimize waste due to runoff. Water a total of 25-30 min for fixed, pop-up heads and 45-50 per zone for rotating heads. |
| Summer | June, July, August, Early September | Water using “cycle & soak” method 2-3 times per week. Monitor your lawn and look for “hotspots” or dry areas. Adjust nearby heads or timer to ensure good coverage. |
| Fall | Late September, October | Water 1-2 times per week, depending on temps and rainfall. Monitor your lawn to determine its watering needs. *Drain back flow on your irrigation system if overnight freeze is in the forecast and if you have not yet had your irrigation system blown out for the winter. |
| Late Fall/ Early Winter | November, December | *Your irrigation system should be blown out to prevent from winter damage. Use hose and water once per month if there is low snowfall or days above 50 degrees when there is no snow cover and wind is nonexistent. Apply mid-day so water can soak in before possible freezing at night. |
Proper watering is critical to your lawn’s health and vigor. Deep and infrequent watering is the best practice. This means wetting the soil to a depth of 4-6 inches per irrigation. This equates to ½” of irrigation at a time. This method of watering matches current and proposed twice a week watering restrictions in Colorado Springs.
Water at times of low wind.
Water during the very early morning rather than in the afternoon or evening to minimize risk for disease
To reduce water runoff and to help water penetrate and soak deeply into the soil, we recommend “Cycle and Soak” watering schedule. Instead of watering for a long period of time and allowing the water to runoff into the street, divide the total watering time per zone by 3. Water 3 shorter intervals (all in the same morning). For example at 3am, 4am, and 5am, before winds pick up. Each cycle, water for 15 minutes for rotor heads, 8 minutes for stationary pop-ups, and 30 minutes for low volume MP Rotator heads. (These times are averages sampled from other lawns to reach a desired amount of water, which is ½” at a time.) Water less in shaded or poorly drained areas.
Do not water every day or two. Frequent, short watering encourages shallow roots, unhealthy grass, plants, and leaves turf susceptible to drought, weeds, and disease.
Water newer trees using soaker hoses or direct hose drips once every couple of weeks.
We can help with your bed weed control, seeding, seasonal aeration, turf disease control and fertilizing and weed control.