TURF

St.  Augustine turf will require considerable water through establishment.  New lawns or sections of grass should be watered daily to 1-inch for the first 30-days and twice per week thereafter.  Irrigation zones consist of rotary heads, misters or a combination of both.  Generally, rotary zones will need to be run twice as long as mister zones so we recommend running rotary zones 45 to 60 minutes and mister zones about 30 minutes. These times may vary with regard to the amount of sun or shade available.  Irrigation zones with a combination of rotary and mister heads are not uncommon.  Unfortunately, a mixed zones should be set for 45-60 minutes to ensure the rotary heads are on long enough to provide sufficent water to the turf.  Monitor the turf daily for wilting and increase the amount of water as needed.   The turf will tell you when it is thirsty.  Once the turf is established maintain the length of the grass as high as possible to promote deeper root penetration , minimizing the watering needs.  Continue to water the turf two times per week.  The University of Florida recommends watering established turf every three or four days to a depth of a half to one inch.     

ANNUALS

Annuals or seasonal color beds require 1-inch of water across the entire bed during normal conditions.  Warmer conditions will require more water.  Due to the delicate nature of seasonal color, plants should be monitored daily for wilting and watered as needed.  Water should be applied at the root zone or over-the-top.  If electing to water over-the-top, we recommend using a micro mister or similar nozzle in order to discharge a finer mist.  When watering with  micro misters over-the-top do so in the early morning hours so plants can dry throughout the day.;   

SHRUBS

Shrub material planted from 3-gallon containers should be watered every 1 to 2 days.  New plant material will need 1/2 to 1 gallon of water at the root ball.  The frequency and amount of water will depend on existing conditions with warmer, drier weather requiring more water and greater frequency.  All plants prefer water at the root zone via drip or leaky pipe, but many can do well with over-the-top watering.  Generally, shrubs do not perform well when water from a sprinkler is constantly hitting the plant foilage with force.  Over time the plant will under-perform.   

TREES AND PALMS

We recommend creating a dirt ring to hold water around the newly planted tree or installing a bubbler at the base.  It is advisable to do both.  Newly planted trees will require 4 to 6 gallons of water per square inch of trunk diameter each watering cycle through establishment.  The dirt ring or bubbler will allow for slower water penetration, preventing runoff.  The first 12 weeks of the establishment period are critical.  Trees should be watered twice daily for the first four weeks, daily for the second four weeks and every other day for the final four weeks.  After this period watering can be reduced to two times per week  for the rest of the first year.  After the first year supplemental water can be applied during the  warmer, drier periods.  Rain does not count as watering unless there is a downpour that is able to fill the dirt ring to the top.