If runoff occurs stop sprinkler. Then run the sprinkler until runoff. This should allow the water to soak in 6 or more inches and then move to the next station. Higher fertility levels require more water usage. Contact your local Cooperative Extension office.
Mulches conserve water.
It is anything which covers the ground around the plant. Plastic, paper, wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, and straw, are some of the materials used as mulch. A 3-4 inch layer of mulch greatly reduces the rate of evaporation, reduces the weed growth around landscape plants and protects them from mower damage by providing a buffer zone. Medium maintenance lawns can be fertilized in fall or spring. Slow release fertilizers are preferred.