What is Flood Irrigation? | Flood Irrigation in Phoenix

A few weeks ago during #CCProjectDay, we had to rush back to my (Mallory’s) house to turn off the water in backyard because I was irrigating it! We live in sunny Phoenix, AZ and in the desert it is common to water our yards this way as shocking as it is!

In today’s post, I gathered allll of your questions about flood irrigation, why we do it, and how it benefits our yard! Before we dive in, I am not a flood irrigation expert but our water delivery company, SRP, is! Feel free to find more info on their blog!

What is flood irrigation?

Irrigation is just watering your yard. We are talking about FLOOD irrigation which is where we intentionally flood our yard instead of watering it each day.

How often do you do it?

Every week or every other week! Really just depends.

Why do you use flood irrigation?

We live in the desert so our plants don’t get a ton of water! If you think about the natural climate, desert plants survive months without water and then during a rainstorm, absorb all of the water and hold on to it. We are just replicating that scenario by giving our plants all the water they need at one time. Some plants (mostly large trees) can’t survive without it!

How long is your lawn flooded?

It takes about 3 hours to soak in.

Can anyone use flood irrigation?

In short, no. Your neighborhood has to be setup for it. A lot of people are shocked to find out that my home is in Phoenix because we have so much greenery around us. This is alllll thanks to flood irrigation!

Is flood irrigation expensive?

Here is the cool thing about flood irrigation in Phoenix – we aren’t using drinking water like we would be if we were using a drip system. My understanding is that it is untreated water which is why it is more cost efficient.

We hope this answered some of your questions about flood irrigation in Phoenix!