Save water and grow a healthy lawn and landscape with an appropriate irrigation schedule. Automatic sprinkler systems make watering easy, but you should not "set it and forget it." Change your watering schedule as plants become established, as seasons change, and when it rains or temperatures drop below freezing.
You can use the Mesonet Irrigation Planner to help you get started with a good schedule. Below are simple tips to help reduce water while keeping your yard looking great.
Click through these basic controller features to learn more about their function and suggestions for water efficient settings.
Make sure the date and time are set correctly. Use a backup battery so a power outage does not reset your system. If the date or time changes, your sprinkler may run at the wrong time.
A program is a group of zones that share the same start time(s) and watering schedules. Most residential controllers will have three or four programs labeled A, B, C, and D. These programs let you water different zones on different days with different run times. Check each program for its individual start times, run times, watering days, and seasonal adjust settings. Make sure no hidden settings cause your system to run longer than you expect or lead to a high water bill.
A zone is a group of sprinkler heads that turn on at the same time. Group plants with similar water needs in the same zone to maximize water efficiency. Some controllers use the terms "station" and "zone" to mean the same thing, but this can vary by model.
A start time is the time of day when a specific program begins to run (i.e. 5:00 a.m.) Each program can have more than one start time, often up to six. Water early in the morning to reduce water loss from heat and evaporation.
You can also use more than one start time to prevent runoff. This helps most in clay soil, compacted soil, or on slopes. This method is called "cycle and soak" and allows time for the water to soak into the soil before finishing the zone's run time.
The number of minutes a specific zone will be watered (i.e. 5 minutes). An appropriate run time will depend on that zone's plant type, sprinkler head type, and number of watering days programmed per week. Spray heads put out about 1.5 inches of water per hour, while rotor heads put our about 0.5 inch of water per hour.
Watering days are the day a program is set to run. Many controllers let you choose specific days of the week, every day, or odd and even days. Check your controller's manual to learn how to set the odd or even day option for you model.
This setting adjusts all run times up or down by a percentage as the weather changes. For example, you might set it to 100% in July. When the weather cools, you can lower the percentage to reduce each run time without adjusting them one by one.
This setting stops all watering but keeps your saved settings. Use it during rainy or freezing weather to prevent your system from running.
Need help programming your controller? Watch the video above and follow the steps below to get started.
Your controller's features may be slightly different from the steps above, especially if you own a smart or WiFi-enabled controller. You can find online guides for your specific controller on the manufacturer's website for your brand.