Residential Conservation

Landscape Watering Tips
Below are some suggested guidelines for efficient watering of your yard. These are guidelines only, and exact times and cycles will vary according to the slope of your property, sun/shade, and plant types.

You will also find useful landscape water-use guidance by visiting bewaterwise.com's new watering calculator or watering index .

Suggested WEEKLY Watering Schedule by Month for spray-head irrigation systems:

Month	Turfgrass	Trees, Shrubs, Groundcover	Notes	% Option***
January	2 days, 2 cycles* of 2 minutes	1 day, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes	Turn water off before rains and let soil dry before turning water on again.	30%
February	2 days, 2 cycles* of 2 minutes	1 day, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes		30%
March	3 days, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes	2 days, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes	March/April is the most active growth period for turfgrass and other plants. Be sure to water adequately.	50%
April	3 days, 2 cycles* of 4 minutes	2 days, 2 cycles* of 4 minutes	March/April is the most active growth period for turfgrass and other plants. Be sure to water adequately.	70%
May	3 days, 3 cycles* of 3 minutes	2 days, 3 cycles* of 3 minutes		80%
June	3 days, 2 cycles* of 5 minutes	2 days, 3 cycles* of 3 minutes		100%
July	4 days, 3 cycles* of 3 minutes	2 days, 3 cycles* of 4 minutes		100%
August	4 days, 3 cycles* of 3 minutes	2 days, 3 cycles*of 4 minutes		100%
September**	4 days, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes	2 days, 2 cycles* of 4 minutes		70%
October**	3 days, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes	2 days, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes		50%
November**	2 days, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes	1 day, 2 cycles* of 4 minutes		40%
December	2 days, 2 cycles* of 2 minutes	1 day, 2 cycles* of 3 minutes		30%

*By "cycling" your irrigation timer to turn on for the suggested number of minutes an hour apart, you reduce runoff and gain deeper watering and healthier root growth. Start with this weekly schedule and increase the times only if your plants show signs of stress. If stress occurs only in isolated area, check your irrigation system before increasing the time.

**In September, plants water needs drop by approximately 30 percent even if the temperature is hotter, for two reasons. First, the days are shorter, so evaporation decreases. Second, plants begin to go into a dormant phase where they need less water. In some years, humidity is also higher, decreasing plant water needs as it slows the rate of evaporation. This rapid drop in water needs will continue in October and November.

***Some irrigation controllers have a feature by which the watering time can be set by changing the percentage instead of specifically entering the days, cycles and minutes.