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1. How much water do I need to moisten the soil 4 to 6 inches deep?

• 1 inch for clay soils
• 1/2 inch for sandy soils

2. How do I know when I’ve put out 1 inch of water?

This is easy! Put a few old cans out on the lawn next time you water. When they fill up 1 inch - you're done. Check how long that took. Next time you water just turn on the sprinklers for that amount of time.

3. How else can good watering practices help my lawn?

Overwatering may cause fertilizers to penetrate below the root zone. This is not only a waste of water but a waste of fertilizer too, both of which translate into a waste of money. Also, this enhances the possibility that chemicals may penetrate groundwater.

Runoff

Overwatering can cause runoff. Runoff occurs when the water falling on the soil exceeds the amount that can be absorbed at that time. This can lead to fertilizer runoff, erosion, loss of newly sown seed, and water dollars washing down the street. If the time it takes for you to put out 1 inch of water causes runoff, then divide that time in two and leave sometime in between. This is a good practice to follow on slopes where runoff obviously occurs more quickly.