[ricthemic]

Standard lot size how many gallons per month is normal? Currently set at 40 minutes twice a week. Thanks

[Garywt]

Not sure how many gallons but I just upped my time to about 15 minutes twice a week. First setting does the grass and second setting does the bushes. Anything longer just runs down the street.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by ricthemic

Standard lot size how many gallons per month is normal? Currently set at 40 minutes twice a week. Thanks

I use about 2500 gallons per month. If you are using more than that, try reducing the watering times. A lot of people overwater their lawn.

You can compare your water usage to other Villagers by going to "distrctgov.org" and viewing their water usage by entering the address. Water bills are public information.

[HiHoSteveO]

Originally Posted by ricthemic

Standard lot size how many gallons per month is normal? Currently set at 40 minutes twice a week. Thanks

Your answer can be found at "Conservation" then to "How Much is Enough"
https://www.thevillageswaterwisdom.com/

[DAVES]

An endless debate. It is not run time but the amount of water that is applied. Different heads will apply more or less water per minute. A new lawn, new sod, will require more water as it has a minimal root system. Bushes, if you have planted the right shrubs, once they are rooted in do not need supplemental watering. Quantity applied is easy to measure using shallow cans-tuna or cat food type cans. You of course want to wash them first.

A lawn is a balancing act. If you apply too much fertilizer, you will need more water, you will need to mow more often and your lawn will be more subject to fungus and insects.

The original post was concerning a villa. The cost per gallon actually goes up as you use more-a higher rate. People with larger lawns not only use more water but they pay more per gallon for it.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Garywt

Not sure how many gallons but I just upped my time to about 15 minutes twice a week. First setting does the grass and second setting does the bushes. Anything longer just runs down the street.

Mostly all of us have sandy CLAY, "soil?" It may not be able to absorb water as quickly as you apply it. Simple to check. Stab a shovel and see how deep the soil is wet. It should be down about 8 inches. Likely, for most of us that is not the case. The solution is to add organic matter. Since you do not want to remove your sod and replace your entire lawn after improving the soil the other way is a lot of work but you do not need to do it all at once. A bit nuts, I drilled holes down 8 inches every 6 inches in my lawn and
filled each hole with manure. My lawn is 5,000 sq feet. It is a lot of work. I use far less water than neighbors. My improved soil holds far more water. Aside. roughly 70 50 lb bags in my 5,000 sq foot lawn 3500 pounds.

[Beyond The Wall]

When did you have time to play golf?

[J1ceasar]

Most will say 20 minutes 2 times a week and not in the rainy season.

[G.R.I.T.S.]

Originally Posted by ricthemic

Standard lot size how many gallons per month is normal? Currently set at 40 minutes twice a week. Thanks

Water use is dependent on what plants/lawn you have. Established shrubs that are suitable for your area will need less than lawns. Consult the Sumter county master gardeners or online with UF/IFAS. You may be wasting $$ and water.

[davephan]

If you’re concerned that your water bill is too high, then change out your dumb irrigation controller with a smart Orbit B-Hyve irrigation controller. The smart controller knows about the weather information and puts the irrigation system on rain delay automatically, which saves your water, and saves you money. The Orbit B-Hyve irrigation controller is easy to install, costs about $100 or less, and is sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s. You can program, control, and monitor the system with your cellphone. The Orbit B-Hyve controller will quickly pay for itself. Then you can stop complaining about your water bill!

[tallyhoer]

Thanks for the information. I didn't know such a controller exists. The rain delay feature alone would make it worth the price. Especially for snowbirds. Although, often rain is forecast and then no rain so, How Do It KNOW???

[Catalina36]

My irrigation is set for 2 x’s a week 20 minutes per zone at 4:00am. I have 4 zones. Seems to be keeping the grass looking good.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Catalina36

My irrigation is set for 2 x’s a week 20 minutes per zone at 4:00am. I have 4 zones. Seems to be keeping the grass looking good.

You may want to try 10 minutes per zone to see if it makes any difference in the grass. 80 minutes is a long time to water, and note that some zones will overlap with water.