Skip the cycle. More water is not always better.
Zen landscape care · South Florida
Watering made
simple.
How often to water your new landscape, how long to run each zone, and when to change the timer. Use this guide yourself or share it with your maintenance or irrigation company.
Three simple rules: Water early in the morning. Skip if rain has already wet the roots. Stop if water puddles or runs off.
01 / Just installed?
New sod: start here.
This starting routine is for newly laid warm-season sod, including St. Augustine, Zoysia, Bermuda and Bahia. Seeds, sprigs, plugs and specialist turf may need different establishment care. New sod needs more frequent water than a rooted lawn. Feel beneath a sod corner: the sod and soil below should be moist, not soggy. Skip a cycle when they are already wet.
| Stage | How often | How much / how long |
|---|---|---|
| Installation day | Water promptly | Wet the sod and the soil directly beneath it. Check seams and edges. |
| First 7-10 days | 2-3 short cycles/day in dry weather | Fixed spray: about 5-10 min/cycle. Rotors: about 15-20 min/cycle. Keep moist, never soggy. |
| Next 7-10 days | 1 time/day when needed | Apply 1/4-1/2 inch: about 10-20 min at the example spray rate, or 30-60 min at the example rotor rate. |
| Then, until firmly rooted | 2-3 times/week when needed | Apply 1/4-1/2 inch. When sod resists a gentle tug, move to the seasonal lawn schedule. Cool weather can delay rooting. |
Minute examples assume fixed sprays at 1.5 inches/hour or rotors at 0.5 inch/hour. Slow rotary nozzles and different outputs need different minutes; use the runtime section below. Keep heavy traffic off unrooted sod.
02 / Shrubs, trees & palms
Water the root ball.
Water at planting, then follow this routine. Lawn sprinklers can wet the grass and still miss a new root ball. In every season, new-installation care comes before the established-landscape schedule.
| Plant | How often during establishment | Amount per watering |
|---|---|---|
| New shrubs / hedges | About 2 waterings/week; up to 3-4 in hot, dry conditions | For a typical 3-gallon shrub: about 1 gallon per watering, directly on the root ball. Continue establishment care for about 20-28 weeks. |
| New landscape trees | 2-3 waterings/week at first; about weekly after the first few months | About 2-3 gallons per inch of trunk diameter per watering. Example: a 2-inch tree gets 4-6 gallons. Continue until established. |
| New palms | Often daily for the first few weeks; then taper as roots establish | Wet the original root ball evenly. Palm size and nursery stock vary; there is no single gallon or minute setting for all palms. Container palms may need regular care for 6-8 months. |
Easy drip examples: A typical 3-gallon shrub receiving 1 gallon from two 1-GPH emitters: 30 minutes. A 2-inch tree receiving 4-6 gallons from emitters totaling 4 GPH: 60-90 minutes. These examples assume working emitters wet the original root ball evenly.
Check before watering. Hot, windy sites dry faster; rain and cooler weather may replace a watering. Field-dug palms and large relocated trees need a species-specific transplant plan. Wet soil plus wilting calls for diagnosis, not automatically more water.
03 / Once the lawn is rooted
How many times per week?
A shared starting schedule for rooted St. Augustine, Zoysia and Bermuda maintained as green lawns in sunny, well-drained South Florida yards. Grass type, soil and rainfall determine which cycles are needed. Bahia and seashore paspalum have separate guidance on the Specialty Grasses page.
| Season | Starting frequency | Simple adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec-Feb) | 1 time/week | Cool, damp weeks may need none. |
| Spring (Mar-May) | 2 times/week | Check dry spots during hot, windy spells. |
| Summer (Jun-Sep) | 0-2 times/week | Skip when storms have watered the roots. |
| Fall (Oct-Nov) | 1-2 times/week | Increase only as rain fades and soil dries. |
Each needed watering: start with enough time to apply about 1/2 inch. Change how often you water with the season. Folded blades, blue-gray color or lingering footprints are signs to check for dryness.
This is Zen’s simplified starting plan, informed by UF/IFAS guidance. New sod uses the establishment routine above. Established shrubs and trees often need only occasional dry-spell watering; do not keep their beds on the lawn’s year-round schedule. Established palm needs vary by species.
Seasonal care / Lawn, shrubs, trees & palms
What changes with the season?
New plants follow the establishment routine in every season. Change the number of cycles you skip as rain and drying change. Established shrubs and trees generally do not need the lawn’s year-round timer settings.
| Season | Rooted St. Augustine / Zoysia / Bermuda | New shrubs, trees & palms |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec-Feb) | About 1 time/week for a green lawn; skip damp weeks. | Keep the new-plant routine, but skip when the root ball is moist. Cool weather usually slows drying. |
| Spring (Mar-May) | About 2 times/week when needed. | Heat and wind can dry new root balls quickly. Use the more frequent end of the establishment range only if drying. |
| Summer (Jun-Sep) | 0-2 times/week; soaking rain can replace a watering. | Check after storms: rain may miss a root ball sheltered by foliage. Skip wet root balls and saturated beds. |
| Fall (Oct-Nov) | About 1-2 times/week when needed. | As rain fades, resume only the cycles plants need. Reduce again when cooler weather slows drying. |
Established shrubs: many site-suited shrubs need no scheduled irrigation during normal rainfall. Water during dry spells when the root zone dries and plants need it. Drought-sensitive plants may need more.
Established trees: during prolonged drought, deep watering about every 2-4 weeks can help before canopy damage appears. Aim to wet the upper 12 inches of soil where practical. Newly planted trees use their establishment routine.
Established palms: needs vary by species. Some tolerate drought; others need more consistent moisture. Avoid keeping any palm’s roots constantly wet.
Established trees: during prolonged drought, deep watering about every 2-4 weeks can help before canopy damage appears. Aim to wet the upper 12 inches of soil where practical. Newly planted trees use their establishment routine.
Established palms: needs vary by species. Some tolerate drought; others need more consistent moisture. Avoid keeping any palm’s roots constantly wet.
For landscape plants suited to the site. Pots, vegetables, annual flowers and moisture-loving species need separate care. A damp lawn does not prove a new root ball is wet. Follow the same gallons-to-minutes math in the runtime section; the season changes frequency, not emitter flow.
UF/IFAS: Shrub establishment · Established landscapes · Trees during drought · South Florida palms.
04 / Set the minutes
Sprinklers: minutes per zone.
These example runtimes deliver about 1/2 inch per watering to an established lawn. Output matters more than the head’s name.
| Head type | What it looks like | Example output | Example runtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed spray | Stationary fan | 1.5 inches/hour | 20 minutes |
| Gear-driven rotor | One moving stream | 0.5 inch/hour | 60 minutes |
| Rotary nozzle | Several rotating streams | 0.5 inch/hour | 60 minutes |
These runtimes assume the stated output rates, not every head. Check output once: place several straight-sided cups across a zone, run it for 15 minutes, then average the water depth. If the cups average 1/4 inch, use 30 minutes to apply 1/2 inch. Your maintenance or irrigation company can make this check and program the timer.
If water runs off, pause and allow soak time before finishing. A persistently dry spot needs a head adjustment or repair, not extra minutes on every zone.
Drip: match minutes to gallons.
GPH means gallons per hour. Add the flow of the emitters serving ONE plant, not the whole bed. Two 1-GPH emitters = 2 GPH to that plant. Inline dripline, microsprays and adjustable bubblers need their own flow setting.
| Total flow to one plant | To deliver 1 gallon | To deliver 4 gallons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GPH | 60 min | 240 min |
| 2 GPH | 30 min | 120 min |
| 4 GPH | 15 min | 60 min |
| 8 GPH | 7.5 min | 30 min |
For other targets: minutes = gallons needed ÷ total GPH to that plant × 60. Higher-flow bubblers may use gallons per minute (GPM), which is different. Use enough emitters to wet the root ball evenly.
Keep it simple.
Check its head or emitter before increasing the whole zone.
Send this guide and ask them to match the timer to the head output and your new plants.
Starting guidance for South Florida. Reduce for wet soil, shade or poor drainage. Follow local watering rules. Current rules.
Sources and further reading
UF/IFAS: New lawns · New sod irrigation · Lawn watering · Timer and drip settings · Shrubs · Trees · Palms
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