SIP

Advanced Watering (Zones)

Make sure that the Mesonet site selected is the nearest one to your location. To select another Mesonet site click on the map or choose from the list below.

Zone
Accumulated rainfall
Last irrigation date
Grass type
Sprinkler system
Sprinkler reduced by
% reduced by
No. of (heads/moves)
Lawn care level
Soil type
Soil slope

Water cost per 1000 gallons (What's This?)

SIP includes water rates from over 200 Oklahoma municipalities, based on the most recent Oklahoma Municipal League Survey. To calculate the total cost of watering select a city from the list. If you do not want to calculate the total water cost leave the field blank.

Zone Name [ Cannot Include : ; ( ) “ ’ ] (What's This?)

Enter a zone name. SIP Advanced Watering allows you to calculate the water need for more than one sprinkler zone or you can choose to treat your lawn as one big zone.

User Collected rainfall [Optional] (What's This?)

Rainfall data for calculating lawn water use is measured at the selected Oklahoma Mesonet site. If you collect your own rainfall, enter the amount here for the period since you last watered your lawn.

Lawn care level (What's This?)

HIGH:
A high lawn care level is used for high traffic and/or high visibility lawn areas. The grass needs to be maintained so that it experiences only occasional water stress. High visual quality is very important.

MODERATE:
A moderate lawn care level fits most home lawn situations. Lawn appearance is not as critical and some water stress is acceptable. The reduced visual quality is balanced with lower fertilizer and water rates.

LOW:
A low lawn care level is for areas where the need to reduce water is more important than grass visual quality. This level is used to maintain some grass greenness, while keeping water use low.

Soil type (What's This?)

CLAY:
Clay particles are small and adhere to each other. Clay goes from very wet to very dry quickly and is hard to work. Its water holding capacity for plants is considerably less than loam, because the water is held so tightly. Clay has a slow water infiltration rate and drains poorly. When wet, clay soils squeezed between thumb and forefinger will form a ribbon over 2 inches long.

SILTY CLAY:
The smaller particles of silty clay reduce its water holding capacity and slows water infiltration and drainage. When wet, silty clay soils squeezed between thumb and forefinger will form a ribbon 1.5 to 2 inches long.

LOAM:
Loam is the ideal soil for plants. It has good water holding capacity and good drainage. Water infiltrates well. It feels like it contains an even mix of sand, silt and clay.

SANDY LOAM:
Sandy loam has more water holding capacity than sand, but less than loam. Sandy loams drain well. Sandy loam soils have a refined gritty feel.

SAND:
Sand is made up of large, granular particles. Water infiltrates rapidly and drains from the soil quickly, so sandy soils have a low water holding capacity. Sand has a gritty feel.

Soil slope (What's This?)

FLAT TO SLIGHT INCLINE:
Areas in this group go from no incline up to slopes of 12.5 degrees or 22%. A 12.5-degree slope drops one foot in 4 feet 6 inches.

MILD TO MODERATE INCLINE:
Areas in this group have slopes of 12.5 degrees or 22% to slopes of 20 degrees or 36%. A 12-degree slope drops one foot in 5 feet, while a 20-degree slope drops one foot in 2 feet 8 inches.

STEEP INCLINE:
Areas in this group have slopes above 20 degrees or 36%. A 20-degree slope drops one foot in 2 feet 8 inches.

Select a watering date.

Select the date you last watered. If you don't remember, select a date within the last two to three weeks.

Select the grass type. (What's This?)

BERMUDAGRASS:
Bermudagrass is a warm-season grass that goes dormant in the winter in Oklahoma. It spreads from above ground stolons and below ground rhizomes. Bermudagrass is the most common grass in Oklahoma. It has excellent drought tolerance and needs full sun.

ZOYSIAGRASS:
Zoysiagrass is a warm-season grass that goes dormant in the winter in Oklahoma. It spreads from above ground stolons and below ground rhizomes. Zoysiagrass is slower growing and has a wider grass blade than bermudagrass. It requires more water than bermudagrass and will tolerate light shade.

TALL FESCUE:
Tall fescue is a cool-season grass that stays green year round in Oklahoma. It grows in a clump and does not have stolons or rhizomes. Tall Fescue is less drought tolerant than either bermudagrass or zoysiagrass. It does well in all but the densest shade areas.

Your local OSU County Extension office can help with questions about your lawn. To locate your local office, click on the LEARN MORE button at the bottom of this page, then select Contacts.

Bermudagrass

Zoysiagrass

Tall Fescue

Select your sprinkler type. (What's This?)

The common sprinkler types for automatic systems and hose-end sprinklers are available. Choose from the drop down or click on a box bellow.

Sprinkler coverage reduced by (What's This?)

BY CLOSING WATER VALVE:
The water area of the sprinkler is reduced by closing the water valve. This lowers the water volume and the square footage watered.

BY ADJUSTING SPRINKLER:
The water area is reduced by adjusting the sprinkler to change the water pattern. This lowers the square footage watered, while using the same volume of water.

closing water valve adjusting sprinkler pattern %

No. of moves / No. of sprinkler heads (What's This?)

If you have an automatic sprinkler system, enter the number of sprinkler heads. If you use sprinklers attached to a hose (hose-end sprinklers) enter the number of moves you will make to cover the entire lawn area to be watered.