Cycle-and-Soak

Saves Water Outdoors


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Do you know how much water
your yard needs? Overwatering
is more common than many realize
and can cause weed growth, plant
disease, and runoff that carries
fertilizers and pesticides into local
water bodies. Installing water-saving
outdoor products and choosing
native or drought-tolerant plants are
great practices to be water-efficient
outdoors. Unfortunately, the ground
under your iandscape could be
contributing to water waste.

For example, landscapes with
clay soils or steep slopes may not
absorb water fast enough before
it runs off. Landscapes with these
characteristics may benefit from
dividing irrigation runtimes into
smaller intervals with short breaks in
between to allow water more time
to soak into the soil. I his practice,
commonly called "cycle-and-
soak," can keep more water on the
landscape and reduce water waste
caused by runoff.

When Cycle-and-Soak
Makes Sense

If your sprinklers
are applying
water faster
than it can
be absorbed,
irrigation water
may pool or run off the ground
before it can be consumed by plant
roots. This commonly occurs in clay
soils, where the infiltration rate, or
the rate at which water soaks into
the soil, is slow. A soil with a high
clay content is very dense and is
more likely to result in puddles
and runoff. Conversely, a sandy soil
allows water to soak into the soil
faster, so less water wiii pool on the
surface.

Sloping landscapes may also
benefit from a cycle-and-soak
schedule. While sprinkler irrigation
is not necessarily recommended on
steep slopes, many homeowners
still install their irrigation systems
on sloped ground. In these cases,
water may run off the landscape
before it can be absorbed.

In either instance, breaking up
irrigation runtimes into shorter


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WaterSense and
Cycle-and-Soak

The WaterSense label helps
customers identify water-
efficient irrigation controllers
that automatically adjust the
irrigation schedule based
on soil moisture levels or
local weather and landscape
conditions. However, they
don't necessarily monitor
the rate at which water is
soaking into the soil, so even
though they might irrigate less
frequently than a clock-timer
controller, pooling or runoff can
still occur.

In some landscapes, additional
adjustments to your irrigation
schedule can result in more
water savings and a healthier
landscape. If you have a
WaterSense labeled controller,
you can use cycle-and-soak on
sloped landscapes or clay soils
to program your controller.

look for

intervals and allowing water to soak
in between watering lets plants
receive the amount of water they
need without water going to waste.

Getting Started With
Cycle-and-Soak

lo implement a cycle-and-soak
schedule, split runtimes for each
irrigation zone (or area of plants).
Water in shorter intervals based on
the amount of water the landscape
can absorb at one time.

For each zone,
record the
total runtime
that irrigation
is scheduled
to run (e.g., 15
minutes). Irrigate your first zone
and record the amount of time it
takes for water to begin pooling
on the surface. This determines the
maximum length of time to water in
one cycle, if it is equal to or greater
than your daily scheduled runtime,
cycle-and-soak is not necessary.
Repeat this step for the remainder
of zones.


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With this information in hand, program your irrigation
controller so that each zone irrigates in multiple short
intervals that are no longer than the time recorded in the
pooling exercise described earlier. Schedule as many
intervals as needed so that the total runtime for the day is
equal to the total daily runtime. Incorporate a 30-minute
to 1 -hour period without irrigating to allow water to soak into the ground
between each interval. An example for two irrigation zones with a total
irrigation runtime of 15 minutes in Zone 1 and 30 minutes in Zone 2 is
shown below.

Controller Setting

Zone 1 schedule in
minutes (total runtime
of 15 minutes)

Zone 2 schedule in
minutes (total runtime
of 30 minutes)

Irrigation on

5

10

Soak (Irrigation off)

30

30

Irrigation on

5

10

Soak (Irrigation off)

30

30

Irrigation on

5

10

Cycle Complete

~

~

If you need help determining the amount of water your
plants need each week and translating that amount into
runtimes, contact an irrigation professional certified by a
WaterSense labeled program or your local utility or
extension office.

For more details about cycle-and-soak, check out this source from Castle
Rock Colorado, https://crconserve.eom/188/Cvcle-Soak and another from
Timberline Landscaping, www.timberlinelandscaping.com/cvcle-and-soak-
irrigation/.

For more information about WaterSense labeled controllers, or other
water-smart landscaping and irrigation practices, visit www.epa.gov/
watersense/outdoors.

EPA-832-F-22-001


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