How Do I Not Kill Off My Lawn?

[Tennesseer]

Jul 23, 2020 20:45:33 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

Jul 23, 2020 18:57:02 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Maybe not much top soil and mostly sand so dries out really fast. Mine in Texas looked a lot like that. Good luck.

How often did you water? 

I can't decide if I burned it, since it looked green before I put the aerator on it. or if I am over/under watering it...

Question: you say you live in a desert. Is the area considered a high desert (high altitude)or low desert (low altitude) area.

[CCL]

Have you tried dethatching it?

Maybe a weed & feed type spray?

[Deleted]

Jul 23, 2020 20:49:06 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jul 23, 2020 20:45:33 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

How often did you water? 

I can't decide if I burned it, since it looked green before I put the aerator on it. or if I am over/under watering it...

Question: you say you live in a desert. Is the area considered a high desert (high altitude)or low desert (low altitude) area.

I'm at 4100' in the high desert. The native vegetation surrounding us is sage desert with no trees. 

[Deleted]

Jul 23, 2020 20:51:37 GMT -5 CCL said:

Have you tried dethatching it?

Maybe a weed & feed type spray?

I used Scott's weed spray first to see if I could kill off some of the weeds. They seem to be dying over time, so I guess it was helpful.

A week later I sprayed down a liquid aerator. The following days it started turning brown. Not sure if that's from the spray itself or if I am now watering it too much because the aerator worked.

The other day I sprayed it with a dethatcher, hoping to get rid of some of its thick mat of dead stuff. 

I bought some lawn and pasture fertilizer at the store today that's supposed to make the lawn greener and provide the missing nutrients. I'm kinda scared to apply it so soon after the dethatcher, so I will do that next week.

[CCL]

I meant with a dethatcher like you pull behind a riding mower that pulls up the thatch.

Or aerating with an aerator that actually pokes holes into the ground, not liquid sprays?

I'll try to find pics.

[CCL]

Like these from Lowes:

www.lowes.com/pd/Agri-Fab-42-in-Dethatcher/999977690

www.lowes.com/pd/Agri-Fab-48-in-Plug-Lawn-Aerator/3029620

www.lowes.com/pd/Sta-Green-Ready-to-Spray-Weed-and-Feed-32-fl-oz-7500-sq-ft-20-0-0-Lawn-Fertilizer/3803201

[Tennesseer]

Warm Season Species: Grasses for the High Desert

“Warm Season” turf grasses grow mainly in spring and summer and go dormant in late fall and winter. They use less water than “cool season” turf grasses.

Common and hybrid Bermuda grass require full sun, but do well in hot High Desert summers. Both recover relatively quickly from moderate wear and severe injury during their growing season. Common Bermuda grass is a lower maintenance turf grass than hybrid Bermuda grass, and can be established from seed rather than vegetaively.

Zoysia grass is heat tolerant and takes some shade. It is relatively wear-resistant, but recovers slowly from excessive wear, due to its slow growth rate. Can take up to two years to fully establish. Generally disease and pest resistant, good durability, deep-rooted and can grow in most soils.

Cool Season Species: Grasses for the High Desert

“Cool Season” turf grasses grow mainly in fall, winter and spring but remain green all year. To extend color into fall and winter, annual or perennial ryegrass “cool season” grasses are sometimes used to over-seed “warm season” grasses. Alternatively, “cold season” turf grasses can be established alone. “Cool season” turf grasses are higher water use than “warm season” turf grasses.

Tall fescue performs better under high temperatures than other “cool season” turf grasses. It requires sun, but accepts partial shade. Tall fescue is moderately wear-resistance, but does not recover completely from severe injury. It is low-maintenance turf grass.

Perennial ryegrass performs well in partial shade in the High Desert. It is highly competitive against weeds if property maintained. Two or three varieties should be blended for optimum performance.

Kentucky bluegrass lacks high-temperature tolerance and does not fare well under heavy traffic or compaction during summer when planted alone. Blending two or three good performing varieties together is recommended. It requires moderate maintenance.

Kentucky bluegrass/perennial ryegrass mixtures is preferred over planting either turf grass singularly. The mixture results in a more disease-resistant stand, offering good color and year-round performance. By weight, at least 15 percent perennial ryegrass is recommended.

Xeriscape: Practical Turf Selection

[Deleted]

It looks like mine is zoysia.

Bermuda grass is horrible. Thick, pokey, nasty stuff that we used to kill with weed killer when we had lawn previously.

[countrygirl2]

On mine down there, doesn't seem like it mattered, when it got really hot, it would die back. I mowed a lot of dirt.  I just couldn't put enough water on it. Turning yellow look up and see what it says or ask a landscaper.

[raeoflyte]

Get a timer with multiple hoses so you don't spend all of your time moving the hose. Use a rain gauge to make sure yoyre putting down as much water as you think you are.

I mow my dad's lawn and we don't even move the hoses, just mow on the highest setting. Move the sprinkler head when I'm next to it, move it back after I've mowed the area.

Aerate with a machine this fall and fertilize, then overseed. In the spring aerate and overseed again.

I don't think there's any quick fix, but over a season or 2 you can make a big difference.

I always thought I wanted to go with rock and mulch, but it's so much more work than watering and mowing. My neighbors have a lot of rock on the property and I thought the dude was crazed for walking the property multiple times a week with his bottle of round up. They moved and within 1 week we could tell why that's how he spent his free time.

[bean29]

Jul 23, 2020 18:57:02 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Maybe not much top soil and mostly sand so dries out really fast. Mine in Texas looked a lot like that. Good luck.

This could be a part of your problem.  I have lots of weeds in my yard, but I noticed you have what looks like weed free grass.  In my last house DH just spread good quality top soil over the lawn and then over seeded over the top.  The grass came in from underneath and from the new seed.

They really recommend that you let your grass go dormant in the summer vs. watering in the Midwest, but we do not have wildfire issues.  I haven't really watered my yard in 10 years.  We only water the flower beds.  I have sprinklers, but they have not come out of the garage in years.

We have sprinklers at work.  There is a service that comes and blows the water out of the lines in fall and turns them back on in spring.  My DH would refuse to pay someone, say he could do it himself, then not get to it.  We will not be investing in sprinklers anytime soon.  Sounds nice, but they have to be maintained.

[Lizard Queen]

We have had issues with our underground sprinklers every single year of the dozen we've been in this house. My backyard currently looks like the movie "Holes", because my DG is trying to find where it's leaking. It's ridiculous considering how much work he's put into growing new grass where it was barely growing before, and then digs all these holes in the same areas. My neighbor in the back just had underground sprinkling put in, despite already having it. I guess he must have decided to cut his losses with the old system. He reseeded everything, as they tore up most of his yard, and now waters the new grass twice a day.

[Deleted]

Jul 24, 2020 10:11:13 GMT -5 bean29 said:

Jul 23, 2020 18:57:02 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Maybe not much top soil and mostly sand so dries out really fast. Mine in Texas looked a lot like that. Good luck.

This could be a part of your problem.  I have lots of weeds in my yard, but I noticed you have what looks like weed free grass.  In my last house DH just spread good quality top soil over the lawn and then over seeded over the top.  The grass came in from underneath and from the new seed.

They really recommend that you let your grass go dormant in the summer vs. watering in the Midwest, but we do not have wildfire issues.  I haven't really watered my yard in 10 years.  We only water the flower beds.  I have sprinklers, but they have not come out of the garage in years.

We have sprinklers at work.  There is a service that comes and blows the water out of the lines in fall and turns them back on in spring.  My DH would refuse to pay someone, say he could do it himself, then not get to it.  We will not be investing in sprinklers anytime soon.  Sounds nice, but they have to be maintained.

The main reason I shy away from underground automatic sprinklers, other than the cost or work involved to self install them, is we have very cold and long winters. I would have to blow the lines out and might still have problems I'd rather avoid.

We had automatic in a previous house and they were constantly a problem.

My lawn isn't green in the winter. It turns brown and goes dormant. Once the snows stop and it warms up it greens up and starts growing.

While you can't see them in the pictures, I do have a lot of weeds in sections of the lawn. I have one whole section that is an invasive plant called hawkweed.

I water it and like the flowers. I'd be perfectly happy if it took over the entire lawn... My lawn mower said the previous owner said the same thing.

I also have a TON of black medic and dandelions. In an area where I pulled out all the dandelions, the black medic grew up in each hole. Lesson learned as I'd rather have the dandelions...

[Artemis Windsong]

Jul 23, 2020 14:16:38 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

green paint. And I am not really kidding.

www.amazon.com/Lawnlift-Concentrated-Grass-Gallons-Product/dp/B004VTOUOS

Problem solved.

You traded one type of grass for another type of grass.  Ugh.

How dare those neighbors to be mean to you.  We have freezers, ya know.

[Deleted]

Jul 24, 2020 10:11:13 GMT -5 bean29 said:

They really recommend that you let your grass go dormant in the summer vs. watering in the Midwest, but we do not have wildfire issues.  I haven't really watered my yard in 10 years.  We only water the flower beds.  I have sprinklers, but they have not come out of the garage in years.

We have sprinklers at work.  There is a service that comes and blows the water out of the lines in fall and turns them back on in spring.  My DH would refuse to pay someone, say he could do it himself, then not get to it.  We will not be investing in sprinklers anytime soon.  Sounds nice, but they have to be maintained.

Our last house didn't have a sprinkler system and when DH (whose job it was) neglected watering eventually the crabgrass invaded. Nature abhors a vacuum. (Then you have to have someone come in and thatch and over-seed and water every day for who knows how long.) Current house does have a sprinkler system and I love it. It taps into the National Weather Service and doesn't operate when there's been enough rainfall or enough is predicted. Each zone is watered according to characteristics I input (sloped or level, shaded or sunny, what's planted there). I still let it get a little brown this time of year but not so much that weeds take over. And yes, I do pay people to blow it out in the fall.

The garden is a ton of work and I'm filling in the blank areas with native grasses- they just sit there, shelter small critters, feed the birds with the seeds they produce and crowd out the weeds. No pampering needed. They have to be cut back every year but as long as you don't plant the really fibrous ones like yucca it's not too much work. Maybe LifePartTwo could plant a large bed of those instead of part of the lawn?

[tskeeter]

Jul 23, 2020 11:54:27 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

My new house has a half acre of lawn that I absolutely hate with every fiber of my being.

It's a ton of work dragging around hoses and it's a phenomenal waste of water here in the desert.

It takes 2 hoses running full bore, moved every 20 minutes, to get it watered in 4 HOURS... 

I'm planning on removing part of it next spring and replacing it with rock, but until then I'm having a problem with it turning brown.

I sprayed it with a liquid aerator because it has a thick mat of dead stuff and water doesn't absorb. I also added a dethatcher a couple weeks later because my neighbor who mows it won't catch the clippings and drops them back onto the lawn so it has a ton of dead crap in it. Ever since, it's more yellow/brown than green.  

I've been watering every other day. My neighbors water daily, but when I do that it doesn't seem to dry out well enough and turns yellow... 

WTF should I do to it? Do they make a Miracle Grow for lawns? Water more/less often? 

I've already decided to buy a mower and take over the task for next year. I will catch my clippings.

Ironite.

Ironite is a fertilizer that contains iron.  Iron makes grass green up.  Ironite comes in two forms.  Granular and liquid.  If you get the granules on concrete, it will leave a permanent rust stain.  So I apply the liquid version with a hose end sprayer.

Desert soil contains almost no nutrients.  If you want a lawn, especially a green lawn, you have to fertilize.  A well fertilized desert lawn will require a lot less water.

Since you’re pulling out the turf after the summer, I’d nurse it through the growing season with a liberal application or two of fertilizer with just enough water to green it up.  When you buy fertilizer, check the ingredient declaration.  It should have at least 1% soluble iron.  (The iron in fertilizers that are not Ironite don’t seem to stain concrete.  Must be the concentration of iron in the fertilizer.)

When you go to do regrading, you might consider what type of soil you have.  Ours has a lot of clay.  That means that when it is dry, it is as hard as concrete.  When the contractor tried to adjust the grading in preparation for installing our paver patio, the edge of the Bobcat bucket just skidded across the dirt (around here we use a jackhammer to plant shrubs).  You might plan on doing any regrading in the spring before the soil dries out, or plan on watering the soil well a couple of days before you start grading to allow the moisture to separate the clay particles and make the soil workable.

I’m not a fan of ground fabric or plastic under mulch or rock.  It makes a slippery layer between the mulch and the ground, so the mulch can’t lock into the soil underneath.  A heavy rain or walking on the mulch can make the mulch move around or slide down a slope.  Ground fabric also collects dust, etc. on it’s top surface, so any weed seeds that blow in have soil to root in.  Ground fabric or not, you’re going to have weeds.  So why go to the bother and expense of putting down ground fabric?

To control weeds in our mostly xeriscaped yard, I apply a pre-emergent herbicide, such as Preen, in March or April.  Just before the weed seeds would start to germinate.  A little RoundUp or hand weeding as needed keeps things looking good the rest of the summer.

[tskeeter]

Jul 23, 2020 21:27:32 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Warm Season Species: Grasses for the High Desert

“Warm Season” turf grasses grow mainly in spring and summer and go dormant in late fall and winter. They use less water than “cool season” turf grasses.

Common and hybrid Bermuda grass require full sun, but do well in hot High Desert summers. Both recover relatively quickly from moderate wear and severe injury during their growing season. Common Bermuda grass is a lower maintenance turf grass than hybrid Bermuda grass, and can be established from seed rather than vegetaively.

Zoysia grass is heat tolerant and takes some shade. It is relatively wear-resistant, but recovers slowly from excessive wear, due to its slow growth rate. Can take up to two years to fully establish. Generally disease and pest resistant, good durability, deep-rooted and can grow in most soils.

Cool Season Species: Grasses for the High Desert

“Cool Season” turf grasses grow mainly in fall, winter and spring but remain green all year. To extend color into fall and winter, annual or perennial ryegrass “cool season” grasses are sometimes used to over-seed “warm season” grasses. Alternatively, “cold season” turf grasses can be established alone. “Cool season” turf grasses are higher water use than “warm season” turf grasses.

Tall fescue performs better under high temperatures than other “cool season” turf grasses. It requires sun, but accepts partial shade. Tall fescue is moderately wear-resistance, but does not recover completely from severe injury. It is low-maintenance turf grass.

Perennial ryegrass performs well in partial shade in the High Desert. It is highly competitive against weeds if property maintained. Two or three varieties should be blended for optimum performance.

Kentucky bluegrass lacks high-temperature tolerance and does not fare well under heavy traffic or compaction during summer when planted alone. Blending two or three good performing varieties together is recommended. It requires moderate maintenance.

Kentucky bluegrass/perennial ryegrass mixtures is preferred over planting either turf grass singularly. The mixture results in a more disease-resistant stand, offering good color and year-round performance. By weight, at least 15 percent perennial ryegrass is recommended.

Xeriscape: Practical Turf Selection

I live at 4,575 feet.  Our grass is a bluegrass/perennial ryegrass blend.

[tskeeter]

Jul 23, 2020 21:00:30 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

Jul 23, 2020 20:51:37 GMT -5 CCL said:

Have you tried dethatching it?

Maybe a weed & feed type spray?

I used Scott's weed spray first to see if I could kill off some of the weeds. They seem to be dying over time, so I guess it was helpful.

A week later I sprayed down a liquid aerator. The following days it started turning brown. Not sure if that's from the spray itself or if I am now watering it too much because the aerator worked.

The other day I sprayed it with a dethatcher, hoping to get rid of some of its thick mat of dead stuff. 

I bought some lawn and pasture fertilizer at the store today that's supposed to make the lawn greener and provide the missing nutrients. I'm kinda scared to apply it so soon after the dethatcher, so I will do that next week.

LP2, I think the reason your lawn suddenly started to yellow is the liquid aerator you put on it.  Overwatering doesn’t cause most grasses to yellow.  And excess or lack of water shouldn’t cause yellowing in just a day or two.

Have your temps been as warm as it has been here?  Some garden/lawn chemicals can cause damage if used when it is too hot.  Maybe your liquid aerator?

[kadee79]

I would NOT dethatch...that is giving the grass roots some protection and helps keep the moisture in the soil as long as possible in your heat.


But I think you need to talk to your county extension office to see if they can give you some tips.  If your county doesn't have an office...find the nearest one or contact the ag dept. of you state university.  They should be able to help you.

[tskeeter]

Jul 24, 2020 22:09:19 GMT -5 kadee79 said:

I would NOT dethatch...that is giving the grass roots some protection and helps keep the moisture in the soil as long as possible in your heat.


But I think you need to talk to your county extension office to see if they can give you some tips.  If your county doesn't have an office...find the nearest one or contact the ag dept. of you state university.  They should be able to help you.

One of the challenges of high desert living is that it’s so dry that organic material does not rot.  Dog droppings left next to a walking path kind of fossilize and will often still be there a year later.  That’s why we bag our lawn clippings.  If we leave the clippings on the lawn, they build up a thick layer of thatch and we may actually smother the lawn.  Our clippings do not beak down and feed the lawn like grass clippings left on the lawn will do in much of the country.

[bookkeeper]

I would suggest a visit to your county extension agent.  He can tell you exactly what kind of grass you are working with and how much water it should need.  I would also ask which kind of grass seed to over seed with in the fall/winter.

I work with a bluegrass/fescue lawn.  I put fertilizer on in May, again in July if it rains, and then fertilizer with iron in September/October.  The fertilizer with iron really helps the grass maintain a dark green color.  One fertilizer tip for you:  Apply with a broadcast spreader but set the rate at only half the recommended amount.  Then apply the fertilizer once in a north/south fashion and go a second time east/west.  By working the application from both ways, you won't end up with a stripey, football field looking lawn.

If you are really unsure about how much water you have or don't have on your lawn, a moisture meter may be your best friend.  In regards to hauling hoses around, the rain train type of sprinklers move themselves along the hose.  Much less repositioning needed.  I also set up hoses for the summer season that pretty much stay put.  I use manifolds and splitters to get the water where I need it and have several sprinkler heads  by each hose to accomplish what needs done.  And true to YM form, I got most of this sprinkler/hose gear from our local thrift store.  Yard and garden stuff lands at the thrift store or yard sales all the time when people move.

Lastly, have you seen any grubs when you have dug around in your yard or garden?  Grubs will eat the roots of your grass from the bottom leaving you with a mostly dead lawn on top.  Here in the plains states our grubs are June bug larvae.  They like to live under sidewalks and other hard scaping.  I use Ortho GrubEx June first and October first because our neighborhood has a big grub problem.

Don't give up, it is just your first year with a new lawn.  You will get there!

[seriousthistime]

Have you tried walking around the yard with something like this?

www.mileskimball.com/buy-lawn-aerator-sandals-310608?sourcecode=10509000120&gclid=CjwKCAjwsO_4BRBBEiwAyagRTfvGB8KSyQdSQVH8VmghxwXTxGW6JYy5HQqcYt-5iduMJFY_VRNU4BoCanoQAvD_BwE

[Tennesseer]

Jul 25, 2020 14:51:44 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Have you tried walking around the yard with something like this?

www.mileskimball.com/buy-lawn-aerator-sandals-310608?sourcecode=10509000120&gclid=CjwKCAjwsO_4BRBBEiwAyagRTfvGB8KSyQdSQVH8VmghxwXTxGW6JYy5HQqcYt-5iduMJFY_VRNU4BoCanoQAvD_BwE

I didn't want to spend money on things like aerator sandals. I had my dad send me a pair of his old golf shoes, cleats and all. I would wear them when I mowed the lawn.

[stillmovingforward]

I vote you let it die. I let my lawn die every year. Next spring, it comes back nice and green. By August, it's dead and brown again. 🤫 I'm just not that into its upkeep. My neighbors don't seem to care.

[gambler]

I do my best to kill my lawn this time of year. I should have, could have black topped the hole freaking thing years ago and should have. Go with the desert idea you will not be sad.

[Deleted]

I didn't water for the last 3 days. I have some areas that actually look better out back, but the front lawn looks browner.

I'm watering today and will put down the fertilizer next time I water. I didn't feel like dealing with it today.

I did notice the people across the street who's lawn is generally a green carpet only water every 3 days or so and their lawn is starting to turn the same color mine is. That makes me feel a bit better about mine.

[spartan7886]

Jul 27, 2020 10:39:28 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

I didn't water for the last 3 days. I have some areas that actually look better out back, but the front lawn looks browner.

I'm watering today and will put down the fertilizer next time I water. I didn't feel like dealing with it today.

I did notice the people across the street who's lawn is generally a green carpet only water every 3 days or so and their lawn is starting to turn the same color mine is. That makes me feel a bit better about mine.

It's generally better for grass to water more deeply less frequently. It stimulates better root growth. We keep our sprinkler systems set to water each zone 5-10 minutes, pause an hour, then 5-10 more minutes (time dependent on season) twice a week. Obviously Houston is a different climate than what you've got, but it works well for us. The pause is necessary when you're watering a lot to give it time to soak in so the later water doesn't run off. 

Also, what time of day are you watering the lawn? Not early afternoon like all my neighbors without sprinklers, right? That's a good way to burn a lawn too (and waste water via evaporation). Water droplets refract sunlight on grass just like a magnifying glass.

[Deleted]

Jul 28, 2020 13:11:05 GMT -5 spartan7886 said:

Jul 27, 2020 10:39:28 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

I didn't water for the last 3 days. I have some areas that actually look better out back, but the front lawn looks browner.

I'm watering today and will put down the fertilizer next time I water. I didn't feel like dealing with it today.

I did notice the people across the street who's lawn is generally a green carpet only water every 3 days or so and their lawn is starting to turn the same color mine is. That makes me feel a bit better about mine.

It's generally better for grass to water more deeply less frequently. It stimulates better root growth. We keep our sprinkler systems set to water each zone 5-10 minutes, pause an hour, then 5-10 more minutes (time dependent on season) twice a week. Obviously Houston is a different climate than what you've got, but it works well for us. The pause is necessary when you're watering a lot to give it time to soak in so the later water doesn't run off. 

Also, what time of day are you watering the lawn? Not early afternoon like all my neighbors without sprinklers, right? That's a good way to burn a lawn too (and waste water via evaporation). Water droplets refract sunlight on grass just like a magnifying glass.

I water my lawn from about 6-7am until I get done around noon.

I do 20-25 minutes with a sprinkler in each location. Using one hose open bore up front and one in the backyard, it takes 10 moves in the backyard and 7 or 8 to do the front. 

While I know I can put splitters on the spigots and buy more hoses, I assume that will just drop down my water pressure and still require a ton of moving things around.

Once finished sprinkling, I typically do some hand watering of dead spots, edges the sprinkler misses, and my flower beds. 

My lawn does look better since I left it for a couple days between waterings. I'm going to try every 3 days and see if that helps.

When we installed conduit a couple months ago, it had rained for two days. When we pulled the lawn out it was wet down to the roots but the ground below was powdery dry. Then about 1' down there was more moisture. Kinda weird and why I thought aeration and dethatching were necessary.

Nothing really rots here in the desert and it's clear from looking at the lawn there's too much dead stuff on it. 

[adela76]

Have you considered a self-propelled sprinkler?  My dad bought one and he's really happy with it.  You lay out the hose in your lawn, and then the sprinkler slowly moves following the path of the hose.  It's some work to lay out and then pick up the hose, but way less annoying than moving a sprinkler every 20 minutes.

www.amazon.com/Orbit-58322-Traveling-Sprinkler/dp/B000NJPUHG/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=moving+sprinkler&qid=1595991963&sr=8-2


Also, next time your water, try putting something like a tuna fish can in the yard to see how much water it collects in 20 minutes with the sprinkler.  You want to water deeply and at least the equivalent of an inch of rain per week (check the recommendations for your area).  I did this once with my sprinkler and was surprised how little water was collected when running the sprinkler for 15 minutes.  

[Deleted]

Jul 28, 2020 22:14:37 GMT -5 adela76 said:

Have you considered a self-propelled sprinkler?  My dad bought one and he's really happy with it.  You lay out the hose in your lawn, and then the sprinkler slowly moves following the path of the hose.  It's some work to lay out and then pick up the hose, but way less annoying than moving a sprinkler every 20 minutes.

www.amazon.com/Orbit-58322-Traveling-Sprinkler/dp/B000NJPUHG/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=moving+sprinkler&qid=1595991963&sr=8-2


Also, next time your water, try putting something like a tuna fish can in the yard to see how much water it collects in 20 minutes with the sprinkler.  You want to water deeply and at least the equivalent of an inch of rain per week (check the recommendations for your area).  I did this once with my sprinkler and was surprised how little water was collected when running the sprinkler for 15 minutes.  

The previous owners left a lawn tractor. The problem is as it travels on the hose it hits bumps and then digs itself into my lawn. I found it to be more of a pain than moving the hose. Great idea for a flat, non-bumpy lawn.