Watering Frequency
If you irrigate with automatic sprinklers, program your irrigation timer so that it waters in 2-3 short cycles rather than a single long period of time. Allow the water to soak in to the ground between the cycles. Almost all professional irrigation managers water their turf in cycles. For example, if you normally water for 15 minutes, try this; water for 4 minutes, wait 30 minutes or more for it to soak in, then water another 4 minutes, then wait again, then water another 4 minutes. Now you have watered a total of 12 minutes rather than 15. Even with the reduced total watering time, chances are you will see a significant improvement in how good your lawn looks.
The reason cycling works so well is that almost all brands and types of sprinklers apply water much faster than it can actually soak into the ground. So after about 5 minutes of running, most of the water begins to build up on top of the soil and then it just runs off into the gutter or to a low spot in the yard. Cycling the irrigation gives the water time to soak into the ground and reduces water run-off, it also will help reduce the wet spots in the lawn where lawn diseases get started.
