Crop Water Use and Irrigation Scheduling Guide for North Florida

Show/Hide Directions

  1. Select the crop of interest below
  2. Use the table to determine the Average Daily Water Use of your crop.

    -Find the current month along the left side of the table.

    -Determine the point of interest in the growing season across the top of the table.*

    -The intersection of month (vertical column) and plant growth stage (horizontal row) shows the average daily water use for your crop.

  3. Select an Irrigation Interval and Application Amount table based on your soil water holding capacity (either 0.7 or 1.0 inches per foot).

    -Find your crop’s estimated rooting depth along the left side of the table.

    -Find your crop’s average daily water usage (from the previous table) along the top.

    -The intersection of rooting depth and average water usage shows the irrigation interval and application amount for your crop.**

    4. *Week after planting is the least accurate method for estimating plant growth stage due to the effects of planting date and weather, so should be used with caution.
    **Suggested irrigation schedules apply for the following conditions:
    -Overhead irrigation systems with an application efficiency of 75%.
    -Soil water holding capacity of 0.7 or 1.0 inches per foot.
    -Available soil moisture depletion of 50%.

Choose a Crop

 
Average water use for Beans (Snap) in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Small Plants Growing Plants Pods Enlarge Pods Mature
Mar. 0.04 0.05 0.08      
Apr. 0.05 0.07 0.10 0.14 0.15  
May 0.05 0.07 0.11 0.13 0.17 0.17
June     0.13 0.17 0.17
July       0.16
Aug. 0.05 0.07 0.10    
Sep. 0.04 0.06 0.09 0.12 .13  
Oct. 0.04 0.05 0.07 0.09 .10 0.10
Nov.     0.07 0.08 0.08
Dec.       0.06
                   
      Early Bloom            
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Cabbage in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Small Plants Growing Plants Head Development
Aug. 0.05 0.07  
Sept. 0.04 0.06 0.09 0.12  
Oct. 0.02 0.05 0.08 0.10 0.11
Nov. 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.08
Dec. 0.01 0.03 0.04 0.06 0.06
Jan. 0.01 0.03 0.04 0.06 0.06
Feb. 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.09
Mar.   0.02 0.06 0.09 0.11 0.13
Apr.   0.10 0.14 0.16
May.   0.18
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Carrots in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Small Plants Growing Developement Root Developement Final Growth
Aug. 0.05 0.07 0.11 0.15  
Sept. 0.06 0.06 0.09 0.13 0.14    
Oct. 0.05 0.05 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.11  
Nov. 0.3 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.09 0.07
Dec. 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.06 0.06 0.05
Jan. 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.06 0.06 0.05
Feb. 0.04 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.09 0.08
Mar. 0.05 0.06 0.09 0.12 0.13 0.11
Apr. 0.07 0.07 0.11 0.15 0.17 0.14
May.   0.17 0.19 0.16
June   0.19 0.16
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Corn (Field) in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Small Plants Stalk Growing Rapidly Ear Filling Ear Maturity
Feb. 0.03    
Mar. 0.04 0.06 0.11    
Apr. 0.05 0.08 0.13 0.18 0.19  
May 0.05 0.09 0.13 0.20 0.21  
June   0.09 0.15 0.20 0.22 0.19 0.13
July         0.21 0.18 0.13
Aug.             0.19 0.16 0.12
Sept.           0.17 0.14 0.10
Oct.   0.09
  arrow arrow   arrow   arrow arrow arrow arrow arrow   arrow arrow arrow   arrow arrow  
Germination Seeding emergence   4 to 8 leaves expanded   Top two ear shoots developing rapidly Tassel emerging All leaves expanded and tassel emerged Kernals in blister stage Kernals ub dough stage, gaining weight   Kernals at 50% milk stage Approximate maturity for silage harvest Kernals at early stage   Kernals fully dented black layer information   Kernals ready for combining
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Corn (Sweet) in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Small PLants Large Plants Ear Development
Feb. 0.03 0.04    
Mar. 0.04 0.06 0.09 0.12    
Apr. 0.05 0.08 0.11 0.15 0.16    
May 0.05 0.08 0.12 0.17 0.18
June   0.09 0.13 0.17 0.18
July   0.17 0.17
Aug.       0.16
         
Emergence   4 to leaves expanded   Tassel Emerging   Kernels in blister stage   Approximate harvest  
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
  Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Cotton in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Early Vegetative Juvenile Reproductive Maturation
Mar. 0.04        
Apr. 0.06 0.09 0.13  
May 0.06 0.10 0.14 0.20
June 0.06 0.10 0.14 0.20 0.22  
July       0.07 0.10 0.14 0.20 0.21
Aug.     0.13 0.17 0.19 0.17 0.13  
Sep.   0.16 0.16 0.15 0.10
Oct.     0.13 0.12 0.08
Nov.   0.09 0.06
  arrow   arrow   arrow   arrow   arrow   arrow
Ermergence First square First bloom Last effective bloom First open boll Harvest
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Cucumber in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month 6-Inch vines 12-inch vines Fruit production Late season
Mar. 0.04 0.06 0.09 .011  
Apr. 0.05 0.07 0.12 0.14 0.11
May.   0.13 0.16 0.12
June     0.16 0.13
July      
Aug. 0.15 0.07 0.12 0.14  
Sept. 0.04 0.06 0.10 0.12  
Oct.   0.08 0.10 0.08
Nov.     0.07 0.06
                     
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Grain Sorghum in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Small Plants Stalk growing rapidly Head development Maturity
Feb 0.02      
Mar. 0.04 0.08  
Apr. 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.17  
May   0.12 0.17 0.19  
June   0.12 .017 0.19 0.16 0.10
July   0.18 0.15 0.09
Aug.   0.17 0.4 0.08
Sept.   0.15 0.13 0.07
Oct.     0.10 0.07
                                       
  Germanation seeding emergence collar of 3rd leaf visible   collar of 5th leaf visible growing point differenttiation   final lea visible in whorl boot. head extended into flag leaf sheath   half bloom. half of plants at some stage of bloom soft dough hard dough   physiological maturit. max. dry matter acumulation        
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
  Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Peanut in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Planting to emergence Emergence to pegging/flowering Flowering/pegging and food formation Pod formation to maturity
Apr. 0.05 0.08      
May 0.05 0.09 0.13 0.18
June 0.05 0.10 0.14 0.19 0.22  
July     0.13 0.17 0.21 0.19  
Aug.   0.19 0.17 0.14  
Sept.   0.16 0.15 0.12 0.09
Oct.     0.12 0.10 0.08
Nov.   0.06
                             
  Emergence     Beginning bloom   Beginning peg   Beginning ped Beginning seed         Beginning maturity       Harvest maturity      
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
  Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Potato in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Small plants(after hilling) large plants(vegetative groeth) Tuber initiation bulking Maturation (top dies)
Jan. 0.02 0.02      
Feb. 0.03 0.04 0.07 0.09
Mar. 0.04 0.06 0.10 0.13 0.14
Apr,         0.10 0.15 0.17 0.16 0.12
May             0.19 0.19 0.14
June                         0.18 0.14
                   
          8-inch plants     First open flower 50% open flowers 100% open flowers     Tops falling over  
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
  Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Samll Grains (Snap) in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Small plants Developing plants Head development Maturity
Nov. 0.02                            
Dec. 0.02 0.04                        
Jan.     0.02 0.04 0.07 0.07                    
Feb.           0.08 0.10 0.10            
Mar.                   0.14 0.11      
Apr.                             0.17 0.12 0.07
May                                   0.14 0.08
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
  Approximate weeks after planting
Average water use for Tobacco in inches/day 1 Inch Per Foot | 0.7 Inch Per Foot
Month Leaf Growth Leaf Harvesting
Mar. 0.05 0.07                                  
Apr. 0.06 0.08 0.11 0.15                          
May     0.09 0.13 0.16 0.19              
June               0.18 0.20 0.17 0.14 0.11 0.08 0.05
July                       0.19 0.16 0.14 0.11 0.08 0.05
Aug.                                   0.12 0.10 0.07 0.05
Sept.                                     0.07 0.04
                                     
        Lay-by         Topping Priming. Harvesting Begins                    
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21+
  Approximate weeks after planting