Free Florida Tool
Lawn Watering Calculator
How much water does your Southwest Florida lawn need this week? We look at the rain that fell, the rain that is coming and the local watering rules, then give you a plain answer. Free, with nothing to sign up for.
This week’s plan
Tell us about your lawn
Choose your city, or enter your ZIP code. Everything else is optional, but the more you tell us, the more specific the plan.
Check your county’s watering rules before you water. See the current watering restrictions.
How it works
Built on the rain that actually fell
Most lawns do not need the same amount of water every week. Here is what goes into your number.
Rain that fell
We add up the last seven days of measured rain for your area, from NOAA radar checked against rain gauges. Rain you already got counts toward the week.
The week ahead
We look at the forecast rain and how much water your lawn will lose to sun and wind (evapotranspiration). That sets what your turf needs this week.
The local rules
Where a watering order applies, we cap the plan at what the order allows. Where we do not cover the rules, we show your lawn’s need and point you to the local rules.
The current water-shortage order
Manatee and Sarasota counties are covered by the current water-shortage order from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which limits lawn watering to one day a week. The calculator follows that order while it is in effect. Read the details on the district’s watering restrictions page. Outside the covered counties, the calculator shows what your lawn needs and points you to your local rules. If your sprinklers use only reclaimed water, the district asks only for voluntary watering hours, unless your city, county or utility sets its own limits.
Two-minute setup
Add it to your site
Pick the city closest to your audience, copy the snippet and paste it into your page’s HTML. That is the whole install.
↑ This is the live widget. It looks the same on your site.
Use it in Home Assistant
Put this week’s plan on your Home Assistant dashboard. Add this to your configuration.yaml, then restart Home Assistant. The city follows the one you picked above.
You get two sensors: this week’s plan (with the details as attributes) and the lawn’s water need in inches. It is a weather-based estimate, and your county’s watering rules come first.
Building something? The watering math is open source on GitHub under the MIT license, with docs for the free public API.
Who it’s for
A free tool worth sharing
HOAs & property managers
Give residents a plain, weekly answer to “how much should we water?” that also points to the current local rules.
Realtors
Add a useful Florida-lawn tool to buyer guides and new-homeowner welcome pages.
Garden clubs
Share a weekly watering number with members, based on the rain that actually fell in your area.
Local blogs & newsletters
A fresh, local data point every week that updates itself. Paste it once and it stays current.
Questions
Good to know
Is the calculator free?
Yes. It is free to use and free to embed on any website. There is no account, no API key and no sign-up. We ask that you keep the small “Powered by Waves Pest Control” link in the embed code.
How is the watering plan calculated?
It compares the rain measured over the last seven days and the forecast for this week with how much water your type of grass needs, adjusted for evaporation. If you tell us your sprinkler head type and how many minutes each zone runs, it turns the plan into minutes per zone. It is an estimate to help you plan, not a guarantee.
Does it replace my county’s watering rules?
No. Local rules always come first. The calculator shows the rules we know about and links to the official source, but you are responsible for following the restrictions that apply to your address. Check your county’s rules before you water.
Which areas does it cover?
Southwest Florida cities from the supported list, including Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, Venice and North Port. Manatee and Sarasota counties are covered by the current water-shortage order. Outside those counties, the calculator shows your lawn’s need and links you to the local rules.
Can I embed it on my website?
Yes. Pick your city in the “Add it to your site” section, copy the code and paste it into your page. It is a single lightweight script with no dependencies, and it fits any column.
Want a team to care for the lawn?
Waves Pest Control looks after Southwest Florida lawns and homes all year. Get a fast, free quote from your local team.