Watering Recommendations

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For the week of April 22, 2024

Based on the evaporation-transpiration and rain data collected by theTexas AgriLife Extension TexasET Network it is recommended that the total amount of water applied to your lawn over the next seven (7) days not exceed the amounts listed for the following areas:

• Huntsville ET Station: 0.01 Inches

• Conroe ET Station: 0.01 Inches

• Spring ET Station: 0.01 Inches

• Washington ET Station: 0.00 Inches

TexasET Website: https://texaset.tamu.edu/

NOTE: Hot weather and long days does not mean that we just turn on the sprinkler system and let ‘em go. We at Lone Star watch the weather every week. We calculate the amount of water that is lost from our lawns by evaporation and transpiration and compare that to the amount of rainfall near your home or business during the previous week. Then we provide you with the maximum amount of water that you should provide during the following week to maintain a healthy, green lawn. Then, we do it again the following week.

How Are Recommendations Calculated?

The Evapotranspiration (ET) rate is a measure of the amount of water that is evaporated from the land and transpired by plants. It's a crucial factor in determining the water needs of plants in a landscape. Here's a basic way to calculate landscape water needs based on ET:

1. Find the ET rate: This is usually provided by local weather stations or AgriLife Extension Services. In our case, we use the ET rate from the TexasET Network, provided by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

2. Determine the crop or plant factor (PF): Different plants have different water needs. A plant factor is a number that represents the plant's water use compared to the reference crop (usually grass). For example, a PF of 0.6 (warm season) or 0.8 (cool season) means the plant uses water at half the rate of the reference crop. You can often find these values in gardening books or from the local AgriLife Extension Office. .

3. Calculate the water needs: Multiply the ET rate by the plant factor to get the water needs of your plants. For example, if the ET rate is 0.2 inches per day and the plant factor is 0.6, the plant needs 0.2 * 0.6 = 0.12 inches of water per day.

4. Adjust for efficiency: Irrigation systems are not 100% efficient. Some water is lost to evaporation, wind, or runoff. If you know your system's efficiency, you can adjust the water needs accordingly. For example, if your system is 75% efficient, you would divide the water needs by 0.75 to find out how much water to apply. Using the previous example, 0.12 / 0.75 = 0.16 inches of water per day.