Cycle & Soak Watering Method

How does the cycle and soak method work? 3 Stages

First, analyze how you’re watering. Do you water your lawn all at once, and if so how long? If you’re only watering using one cycle, then all the water you deliver may not get absorbed. The trick is to split up your watering into several cycles, all on the same day.

Secondly, test how long it take for your irrigation system to provide a half inch of water – measure and mark 1/2 inch on several plastic containers. Place them around the zone and run your system until water reaches the 1/2 inch mark – note the time this takes. This is based on providing approx 1 inch or 2.5 cm of water to your lawn each week with 2 waterings. You may wish to increase to 3 watering days in the middle of summer.

Here’s how the cycle and soak method works to save water.

Stage 1

• Run your lawn zone for a short period of time; say ⅓ of the time you’d normally run it.
• In stage 1 you are first cracking the soil surface and saturating the top layer of soil.
• Shut it off and allow the water to soak in.

Stage 2

• Once the water is fully soaked in, run your system again and deeply soak the soil.

Stage 3

• If you live on a slope or your soil is very compacted, this will be the most beneficial soak.
• Water will saturate more efficiently and deeply the more cycles you water.
• Depending on your soil structure, you could use two to three cycles.

Timing Sample: If you water your lawn zones for 30 minutes to deliver the equivalent of one-inch of irrigation water, then with the cycle and soak method, you’ll break it up into either two 15-minute cycles or three 10-minute cycles. All on the same day.

Of course, none of us have time to do this manually each time we water. Do it manually the first time so you can see how long you can run your first cycle before water begins to pool. Your irrigation clock comes with the ability to use A, B & C cycles. You can set up separate cycles, with separate start times, to automate two or three watering cycles the same day.

Information provided by Soils Alive

You can read more about the cycle and soak method here.

Tips for watering mature grass and landscape

Tips for watering new grass and newly landscaped areas

Healthy soil is an essential part of creating a lawn that is naturally better at absorbing and using water efficiently. When your soil is healthy, well fed and full of organic matter, drainage and moisture retention is improved.