Watering Zoysiagrass: Best Practices and Drought Tolerance

The best time to water any lawn is in the morning, preferably before noon. This allows grass blades to dry before nightfall, reducing disease risk. Always account for recent rainfall when determining irrigation amounts, and check local watering restrictions at georgiadrought.org.

How to Measure Sprinkler Output

1. Place six identical containers randomly in the sprinkler pattern.
2. Weight plastic cups with a heavy washer in the bottom.
3. Run the sprinkler for one hour.
4. Measure water depth in each cup and calculate the average.
5. This average (in inches) is your hourly application rate.
6. Calculate how long to run to apply 1 inch of water.
7. Don't be surprised if it takes more than an hour.

Soil-Specific Watering Tips

• Use a trowel to check water penetration depth after irrigation.
• Heavy clay soil absorbs water slowly. If runoff occurs, split irrigation into two sessions an hour apart.
• Sandy soil absorbs quickly but dries fast. Consider splitting the weekly 1 inch into two ½-inch applications three days apart.

Drought Tolerance of Common Turfgrasses

Some grasses go dormant during drought, turning yellow but recovering when water returns. Here's how long each can go without water without substantial harm:

Zoysiagrass has moderate drought tolerance – about 4 weeks – but will go dormant and turn yellow. Healthy zoysia typically recovers well when water becomes available.