The first day of fall 2021 is September 22 so now is the time to get your sprinkler ready for fall watering.
In fall, your soil loses about ½ the water it loses in the summer, so the simplest solution is to water one day per week versus the two you water in the summer. Download our fall watering guide.
We recommend that you water in ten-minute bursts one day per week at 2 a.m, 4 a.m., and 6 a.m. during the fall.
The reason we recommend watering at these times is that it is cooler, which means less evaporation. There is also less wind that can blow the water onto your driveway, sidewalk, patio, or street. Also, keep in mind that many of the newer sprinkler controllers have a seasonal adjustment which is easy to use with our watering guidelines. Finally, if your lawn has a lot of shade, you can cut your watering to about a fourth of what we recommend and be fine.
Important Note for Rotary Head Sprinklers and Drip Systems:
If you have rotary head sprinklers (they slowly turn and send out long streams of water), we recommend running twice as long as you would regular sprinklers since it takes them longer to put out the same amount of water. Drip Zones (drip systems work by maintaining a level of moisture in the soil.) We recommend that they run daily or close to it (roughly 10 minutes per day in the fall.) Since various drip lines water slightly differently, it is important to pay attention to your beds to ensure they get the appropriate amount of water.
As always, if you have any questions or need help with your sprinkler system, give us a call. Proper watering is vital for a healthy lawn and we are always happy to help. You can also find a how-to video on programming your controller on our website or YouTube channel.
