How often to water fescue/KBG blend in CA summer?

May 3, 2017 9:15 AM Subscribe

Last fall we had sod installed in our small side yard in the East Bay (California). It then rained at historic levels for many months, during which we did not use the automatic sprinkler system that was installed along with the sod. Now that it is getting warm and dry I am unable to find reasonable-looking guidance on how often to water -- all the advice seems to be geared toward new sod and not established.

FWIW, I am more concerned with how often than with how much (I know both are important, but I'd like to understand one first and that seems like a good place to start).

The sod is 90% fescue/10% Kentucky bluegrass. The yard is a small strip and gets different amounts of sun in different places, partial sun in general.

I know the answer is related to the specifics of my lawn and there isn't a single perfect answer, but even being pointed to a specific resource would be great. I read that using tuna cans to measure 1" of water is a good idea, but the automatic sprinklers spray sidways and either tilt the cans or half the water bounces off/flows down the side so I've not had luck there.

posted by Ignatius J. Reilly to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Who installed your sod? Is it the same person who is maintaining your yard now? What does that person recommend?

Can you talk with any of your neighbors that have a similar yard?

Fwiw, we're in LA and we water our yard for about 10-15 minutes, 2-3x/week depending on the weather. We water in the evening around dinnertime, but you will hear lots of people tell you that this is the wrong way to do it. Meh, it works for us.

posted by vignettist at 9:31 AM on May 3

Talk to EBMUD's water conservation people! They help with water conservation for both home and garden, and advise on watering amounts and schedules. General # 1-866-403-2683, and here is the link for

posted by k8oglyph at 10:08 AM on May 3 [1 favorite]

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