Landscape Tips: Time to Turn on Your Irrigation System

With the weather warming up and continued drought, gardeners and landscape enthusiasts are eager to activate their irrigation systems. After an especially dry winter, landscapes are thirsty and ready for a drink.

However, it is important to remember that early-season watering needs differ from those in mid or late summer. Adjusting your irrigation controller now is critical to avoid overwatering, which can harm soil and plant health, waste water, and spike your utility bill.

Here are a few tips for early-season irrigation:

• Inspect and Adjust: Check your system and adjust any sprinkler heads that are missing their target. This prevents runoff onto driveways, sidewalks, patios, or retaining walls.

• Watch the Temperature: Adjust your controller to avoid watering late at night or very early in the morning when freezing temperatures are still possible. This prevents potential plant and property damage.

• Dial Back the Volume: Set your controller to apply only 30-40% of peak-season needs. Plants simply don’t need as much water in the spring as they do in the heat of summer.

• Time it Right: Water in the morning rather than late in the day. This allows plants to utilize the moisture during the daytime.

• Shorten the Cycles: Shorter, more frequent run times are better than long, infrequent applications. This increases infiltration in dry, compacted, or sloped soils and helps prevent runoff.

This chart shows the potential savings of landscape irrigation water that is often wasted from overwatering in the early and late season with a typical irrigation controller that is not programmed appropriately.

If you want more info on best irrigation practices or help adjusting your program, contact Water Whys Irrigation & Landscape Design today.