From spring to winter your landscaping goes through a variety of climate changes. Fertilizing and watering are important to keeping the health and sustainability of your landscape. You might ask yourself, when should I be watering?
In Fairfield County, its common practice to turn your sprinkler system on early in the spring and winterize late in the fall. While these practices are standard in our region, that does not mean you need to water all season. Most landscapes in our area are over-watered which weakens the health of your landscaping.
What do sprinkler systems do?
The purpose of an irrigation system is to provide supplemental watering for when there is a shortage of effective rainfall. Evapotranspiration is the sum of evaporation from land surfaces and the transpiration from plants. A proper watering schedule is designed, to replace the amount of water lost from evapotranspiration after effective rainfall. If enough rain has fallen to offset the amount of water lost, then your sprinkler system doesn’t need to water!
How often should I water?
As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. Typically the spring months are full of rain, in most cases you don’t need to water your landscaping until late spring. A professional landscaper in Westport, CT says, “Ideally once your landscaping begins to show signs of stress is when you should start watering.” Once a watering schedule is activated, deep and infrequent watering is the best practice. Once or twice a week in heavy doses is optimal for healthy plants and green grass.
What’s the best time to water?
The best time to water your landscaping is in the early morning hours. This allows your landscaping to soak in the amount of water needed and evaporate any excess quickly. The best time is early in the morning between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. Watering in the evening hours promotes disease and fungus which can be devastating to your landscape.
How much should I water?
With evapotranspiration in mind, you should only water the amount that is needed after effective rainfall. Today’s “Smart” Controllers do the math for you! Weather-Based sprinkler controllers adjust the system’s run times based on the plants’ watering requirement. Using onsite and local weather sensors, they collect the required information for evapotranspiration and rainfall to determine just how much is needed.
In fact, these controllers can provide as much as 50% water-savings! Deep infrequent watering is key in developing a strong root system and preventing disease and fungus. With weather-based controllers, all the work is done for you.
Practicing these water-saving techniques is not only great for your landscaping and the environment but for your wallet too! Millions of gallons of water are wasted every year due to over-watering and inefficient sprinkler systems. To keep your landscape and wallet full of green, Aqua-Lawn Inc. is the best in the business. Our team can provide the tips and tricks you need to transform your sprinkler system from a water waster to a water saver. Contact us today, we’ll be happy to inspect your system and provide a number of different ways you can start saving water.
