Today's Topic: Your Soil Matters - 3 of 5 Part Series
Posted by Becca Messreni on
Your Soil Determines How You Should Water
Why Is Water Running Off When My Plants Still Seem Dry?
Two homes can have similar landscapes and irrigation systems but still need different watering schedules.
One reason is the soil.
If your irrigation system applies water faster than your soil can absorb it, water may puddle or run off before enough moisture reaches the roots.
Watering longer doesn't always mean watering better.
Your Soil Makes a Difference
Clay-heavy soil absorbs water slowly but holds moisture longer.
Sandy soil absorbs water more quickly but also drains faster.
Compacted soil can also absorb water slowly, causing puddling and runoff.
The goal is simple: give the soil enough time to absorb the water and carry it deeper into the root zone.
Give Water Time to Soak In
If water begins running off before the ground can absorb it, Cycle and Soak may help.
Instead of watering for 30 minutes continuously, try dividing the same watering time:
10 minutes → Soak → 10 minutes → Soak → 10 minutes
The total watering time hasn't changed. You're simply giving the soil time to absorb the water between cycles.
Some irrigation controllers have a built-in Cycle and Soak feature. If yours doesn't, you can often create the same effect by programming several shorter watering cycles with time between them.
Don't judge your soil by how it looks on the surface.
After watering, push a long screwdriver into the soil near your plants. It should slide more easily through moist soil and become harder to push when it reaches dry soil.
It's a quick way to get an idea of how deeply your irrigation water is actually soaking in.
In Conclusion
Your irrigation schedule needs to work with the soil beneath your landscape.
The goal isn't just to put water on the ground. It's to get water into the root zone where your plants can use it.
If you're seeing puddling, runoff, or water flowing onto the sidewalk before it has time to soak in, Esteban Land Design can evaluate your irrigation system and help determine whether changes to your watering schedule could help your landscape use water more effectively.
Looking Ahead
Your soil determines how water moves into the ground. But what determines how quickly that water disappears?
Next, we'll look at something most homeowners have probably never heard of—evapotranspiration—and why it matters to your landscape.