12 Water Conservation Tips for Arizona Sod Lawns

1. If you have automatic sprinklers, water your Arizona sod early in the morning. Wind and evaporation are at their weakest early in the morning.

2. Pay attention to the different types of grass. Bermuda grass is much more drought resistant than tall fescue grass and requires far less water.

3. If you can, raise the mowing height for your lawn. Your lawn may look a bit shaggier, but in the summer this will save you loads on your water bill. The Arizona turf will not wilt as easily and will protect itself from water loss.

4. Measure your average sprinkler output by placing cans around your yard. 8-12 cans should do it depending on the size of your lawn. However much water they collect is a good approximation of how much water your lawn is getting.

5. Make sure your sprinklers are watering efficiently. Every sprinkler has a gallons per minute (GPM) rating, and you need to attune for the different areas of your Arizona turf. A 180 degree sprinkler head needs to have twice the output of your 90 degree heads, and a 360 degree head needs to have four times the output of a 90 degree head. Otherwise you’ll be watering things unevenly.

6. Check your coverage area. Although your lawn was being watered perfectly when the sprinkler heads were first installed, being bumped by the mower and natural vibration may have altered their watering angles. Make sure only your lawn area is getting watered.

7. Make sure sprinkler running times are appropriate. In the summer your sod in Arizona should be getting around 1.5 to 1.7 inches of water a week. Always start low and bring up the water volume as necessary.

8. Do you have an area of your sod lawn that gets hit with more sun than others? Instead of watering your entire lawn longer to hit it, focus on that area with the hose. You can do this in between the normal watering schedule.

9. Know what type of soil you have: Sandy soil will need more often, and lighter irrigations than a loamy type of soil (soil that is even in sand, clay, and silt). Lawns with a clayish soil also require more frequent waterings as they can’t hold as much water and will puddle and form runoff.

10. Aerify your Arizona sod lawn! Poke holes in the lawn with a close tine rake or nifty aerating shoes. This decreases runoff and promotes root growth.

11. Water when the turf is dry, do not water every day. If a screwdriver can penetrate 4-5 inches than the lawn is moist. If the turf lays flat after being walked on, it needs water. Sod in Arizona will turn a blue-green color when stressed for water.

12. Do not over fertilize. This can cause more growth than is otherwise necessary. To green up an already dense lawn, apply iron.

Evergreen Turf is an Arizona sod company that has become the major sod provider not just for homeowners and landscapers, but for Arizona’s demanding golf courses and sports facilities.

Tags: ,

One Response to “12 Water Conservation Tips for Arizona Sod Lawns”

  1. Romania Says:


    Thank you for your good article,I really loved reading it….