Landscape & Irrigation Tips

Best Lawn Practices

Use best turf practices to keep lawns healthy and reduce water needs:

  • Aerate turf before summer to improve water infiltration.
  • De-thatch in fall or early spring if lawns have more than 1/2 inch thatch.
  • Raise mower height to 1 1/2 to 2 inches to improve rooting depth.
  • Keep mower blades sharp to avoid tearing and stressing the grass.
  • Leave the clippings. "Grasscycling" doesn't cause thatch, but makes lawns healthier and more drought resistant. It can also reduce fertilizer needs by 25-50%.
  • In the fall, overseed any thin areas to bring back a lush lawn. Aerate, overseed, then top-dress with compost, and fertilize with organic fertilizer.

Let Your Lawn Brown

Consider letting lawns go brown. Grass naturally goes dormant in dry summer conditions, and greens up in the fall. Water dormant lawns deeply once each dry month to keep roots alive. High traffic areas should be watered more regularly.

Improve Irrigation System Performance

Schedule Efficiently

  • Irrigate between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. to reduce evaporation.
  • Adjust irrigation timing throughout the irrigation season based on need.
  • Pay attention to the weather and adjust your watering accordingly. Consider using a "smart" irrigation controller and soil moisture sensors instead of "set it and forget it" irrigation schedules. 

Maintenance

Each month check for broken heads, leaks and other water wasting problems. Fine-tune your system to avoid run-off, overspray, or other conditions where irrigation water flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, or impervious surfaces.

Equipment Upgrades

Install a "smart" irrigation central control system that incorporates real-time evapotranspiration (ET) and soil moisture sensor information. Flow sensors automatically turn irrigation systems off in the event of leaks or broken heads and locate the problem areas at the central control unit.

Irrigation system manufacturers design different types of sprinkler heads. Avoid misting heads, which result in a large percentage of the water blowing away and being lost to evaporation. Instead, select updated water-saving sprinkler heads that spray larger water droplets that fall to the ground and soak in more efficiently.