Released April 4, 2008
STILLWATER, Okla. -- A new tool is available to help homeowners know when and how long to water lawns in Oklahoma, courtesy of the Oklahoma Mesonet Agricultural Program.
The Simple Irrigation Plan or SIP, for short, is available at http://sip.mesonet.org on the Internet. SIP combines the power of the Internet and Oklahoma Mesonet to calculate how long to run automatic or hose-end sprinklers.
“A few simple clicks and you will have calculated the number of minutes you need to water, plus how much it is going to cost,” said Al Sutherland of the Oklahoma Mesonet Agricultural Program.
Sutherland said lawn care is a form of urban agriculture, and as with traditional agricultural production, it is important for homeowners to practice cost-effective, environmentally sound management in their lawn care, gardening and similar activities.
SIP was developed through an urban water conservation grant provided by Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
“We worked with the OSU Master Gardener programs in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa to develop an easy-to-use system that hides the science while addressing the real issue of how many minutes a sprinkler should run,” Sutherland said.
SIP provides users with three options: Simple Watering, Advanced Watering and Advanced Watering Plus.
“The Simple Watering option provides the quickest answer,” Sutherland said. “It takes most people only a few seconds to enter general information about their lawn and find out how long to run the sprinklers.”
Users select the nearest Oklahoma Mesonet site. They then choose how many days have passed since their lawn was last watered or it rained, select the type of grass they have and the type of sprinkler. The system uses this data to provide the appropriate watering recommendation.
The Advanced Watering and Advanced Watering Plus options are for those willing to enter additional information to get an even more accurate watering estimate.
Users can enter data for multiple zones with the Advanced Watering option. With Advanced Watering Plus, users can save their zone inputs.
“You will need an account and password to use Advanced Watering Plus,” Sutherland said. “Accounts are free. The Mesonet system just needs a way to know which data is yours. Contact us at sip@mesonet.org by e-mail to sign up for the Advanced Watering Plus option.”
SIP has water rates for more than 200 communities, gathered from the Oklahoma Municipal League city survey.
“No homeowner wants to waste money, and community leaders know the importance of managing their water resources wisely,” Sutherland said. “SIP is a user-friendly tool that can help everyone do his or her part with a minimum of effort, especially when combined with other sound management practices.”
Sutherland said homeowners looking for science-based lawn and yard care information should contact their local Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service county office. Contact information is available at http://countyext2.okstate.edu on the Internet.
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Contact: Donald Stotts, (405) 744-4079, donald.stotts@okstate.edu
