Fall sprinkler / soaker settings
Posted by Subject_Education931@reddit | plano | View on Reddit | 8 comments
First time home owner.
Now that Fall weather has arrived with still no rain in the forecast I've got my settings on:
- Sprinklers 2x week
- Soaker hoses 7 inches from foundation: 3x week for 20m on sun facing side and 10m on shaded side.
Is this fine? What's the typical fall / winter watering schedule?
Thank you for your guidance.
Content_Height_3161@reddit
I leave my lawn sprinkler system off from Oct to May and only turn it on if it looks like it needs it. Lawns been healthy for 11 years.
Cloudy_Automation@reddit
Plano only allows one watering per week November to end of March, so that schedule will need to be adjusted next month. They also recommend watering during the day to minimize the chance of freezing water on the sidewalk overnight. Also, your base sewer charge is based on winter water usage, so if you can minimize watering 3 out of December, January, February, and March, it will reduce your sewer costs for the rest of the year. They base sewer for the rest of the year on the average of the lowest 3 of those months.
If there is a freeze coming, watering before the freeze helps plants get through the freeze, but obviously don't water during a freeze.
Rhuber16@reddit
Huh I never new about the once per week thing. I’ll have to look that up and tell some people.
hyrmes165@reddit
I didn’t know that either
BlossomBBQ@reddit
Most municipalities do not have restrictions for low volume watering. You can probably due without watering the foundation during winter months as long as you monitor the soil. Keep your soil hydrated.
strog91@reddit
Personally I only water my foundation during peak summer; July and August basically. If you don’t see a gap between your foundation and the soil, then it doesn’t need to be watered.
As for your lawn, my suggestion would be to replace your sprinkler controller with a smart one (I use Rachio) and let it do the work of watching the weather and adjusting your watering schedule.
neatgeek83@reddit
This. I rolled up my soaker hoses last weekend. Sleep deeply my sweets. See ya in June.
Mynplus1throwaway@reddit
My goal is to keep mud cracks to a minimum and prevent separation from the foundation. Depends on how well you have kept up with it.