Soil moisture reserve is most important in water conservation in humid areas

Besides understanding evapotranspiration, it is equally important to know the soil moisture reserve of the landscape plants.  This can be quite limited.  Closely mown turfgrass tends to have a shorter root system than tall mown turf.  This is because carbohydrates are in shorter supply in the closely mown turf--it requires leaves to photosynthesize.  The shorter root system has a smaller soil moisture reserve, which means that it requires more frequent shallow irrigations.   Florida golf course greens cut at 1/8 inch usually require watering every day.