How To Properly Water Your Lawn During an Eastern Idaho Drought

As most people have probably heard by now, we are heading into what is being predicted to be one of the worst drought years Eastern Idaho has seen in a very long time. Combine that with higher-than-normal temperatures and the fact that we live in a HIGH MOUNTAIN DESERT, and proper watering practices are going to matter more this year than they ever have before.

This article is not meant to be a sales pitch. Honestly, it is the exact opposite.

Water is a resource we all rely on, and if there was ever a year to focus on watering correctly and efficiently, this is it.

Eastern Idaho Lawns Are Different

One of the biggest mistakes people make is taking lawn advice from other parts of the country and trying to apply it here. Eastern Idaho presents a completely different set of challenges.

We deal with:

• low humidity

• constant wind

• intense sun exposure

• high elevation

• long summer daylight hours

• and soils that can be difficult to manage if watered improperly

Most of the soils we see throughout Idaho Falls and the surrounding areas are some variation of clay/loam mixes. These soils can actually become hydrophobic when too much water is applied too quickly. In simple terms, instead of absorbing the water, the soil starts repelling it.

This is why you can sometimes water for long periods of time and still end up with dry soil underneath while water runs into the street, puddles in low areas, or runs downhill before ever penetrating deeply into the soil.

More water does not always mean better watering. In many cases, how the water is applied matters just as much as how much water is being applied.

“How Long Should I Water?” Is a Loaded Question

I get asked almost daily:

“How long should I water my lawn?”

The problem is that there is no universal answer because every irrigation system is different.

A few things that drastically affect watering output include:

• water pressure

• nozzle size

• spray pattern

• rotor heads vs spray heads

• number of heads on a zone

• head spacing

• slope

• wind exposure

• sun exposure

• and soil conditions

One sprinkler system may put down twice as much water in the same amount of time as another system directly across the street.

That is why watering based only on “minutes” usually does not work very well. The real goal is figuring out how much water your system is ACTUALLY applying.

How Much Water Does Turf Actually Need?

According to information published by the University of Idaho, lawns in Eastern Idaho can require roughly 2–3 inches of irrigation per week during peak summer conditions, depending on temperatures and weather patterns.

For many homeowners, that number is much higher than expected. But when you factor in our climate conditions, it starts to make a lot more sense.

Between:

• high temperatures

• wind

• low humidity

• drought conditions

• and intense sun exposure

lawns can lose moisture incredibly fast during the middle of summer.

The important thing is not simply watering more. The important thing is understanding how much water your system is actually delivering and applying it as efficiently as possible.

The Best Way To Measure Your Irrigation Output

One of the easiest and most useful things a homeowner can do is measure the actual output of their irrigation system.

This can be done with almost anything that catches water:

• a tuna can

• small bowl

• cup

• rain gauge

• or any other shallow container

Place the container within the watering zone and run the irrigation system for a set amount of time.

I usually recommend starting with a 30-minute cycle simply because the math is easy, but honestly, the longer you run the test, the more accurate your baseline will be.

Once the cycle finishes, measure how much water accumulated in the container.

For example, let’s say your irrigation system applied:

• 0.5" of water in 30 minutes

If your goal is 2" of irrigation per week:

• 2 ÷ 0.5 = 4

That means you would need:

• four total hours of watering per week
  OR

• eight 30-minute cycles per week

Once you establish your system’s baseline output, watering becomes much less of a guessing game. Instead of constantly increasing runtimes every time temperatures rise, you can make educated adjustments based on actual irrigation output.

Split Watering Is Extremely Valuable In Our Soils

One of the most effective irrigation practices we recommend in Eastern Idaho is split watering.

Split watering simply means breaking your watering cycle into two shorter cycles instead of one long cycle.

For example:
Instead of running a zone for 40 straight minutes, you might run:

• 20 minutes

• allow the water time to soak in

• then run another 20 minutes later

This helps tremendously with:

• runoff

• hills

• sloped areas

• compacted soils

• clay-heavy soils

• and hydrophobic conditions

Allowing the water time to sit and penetrate before applying more usually results in significantly deeper moisture penetration.

In many cases, we have seen customers reduce their overall watering by 30–40% while actually improving soil moisture depth simply because the water was finally soaking in properly instead of running off.

That is a huge deal during a drought year.

Watering Time Matters More Than People Think

Another thing that gets overlooked constantly is WHEN people water.

We almost always recommend watering during the late night to early morning hours.

There are several reasons for this:

• lower evaporation

• less wind

• cooler temperatures

• better penetration

• and improved overall efficiency

Trying to water during the heat of the day in Eastern Idaho is extremely inefficient, especially during windy conditions. A surprising amount of water can evaporate or drift away before it ever reaches the soil.

Early morning watering allows the irrigation system to work with the environment instead of against it.

Final Thoughts

This year especially, proper watering is about more than just keeping lawns green.

We are dealing with severe drought conditions, rising temperatures, and increasing stress on our water resources. Anything we can do to water more efficiently and reduce unnecessary waste matters.

The goal is not simply to use more water.
The goal is to use water BETTER.

Understanding your irrigation output, improving watering efficiency, and adjusting practices to fit our climate can make a massive difference not only in lawn health, but in overall water conservation throughout our communities.