Finding the balance between a beautiful yard and drought conservation can be difficult, especially during the summer.

Days per week:

• Spring: 2-3 days per week
• Summer: 3-4 days per week
• Fall: 2 days per week

Watering Run Times:

Lawns: This lawn schedule is for pop-up spray sprinklers. Divide your irrigation run times into multiple start cycles, one hour apart, in the pre-dawn. Instead of watering one 15-minute cycle, program your irrigation controller to water two 7-minute cycles at 5:00 AM and 6:00 AM or three 5-minute cycles at 5:00 AM, 6:00 AM, and 7:00 AM. Following these watering cycles prevents runoff by allowing the water to soak into the soil efficiently with each cycle. Remember, if your lawn is drying out or if your lawn is soggy, adjust the minutes per run time slightly or take a day off per week.

Lawns with pop-up rotors or impact sprinklers may need more time per run cycle because the sprinklers don’t put out as much water as pop-up spray heads.

Shrubs: Drip systems that water low-water-use shrubs should be scheduled for 15-25 minutes start times and will require an average of 1-3 days per week. Spray sprinklers that water established shrubs could be watered like the lawns above, with fewer days per week. Always remember that existing shrubs will usually need less water per week.

Note: During hot spells in the summer, do not turn your irrigation system on during daylight hours or in the evening. Existing lawns and shrubs watered with the recommended schedules above should withstand the hot weather. If extra water is needed, add minutes to your run cycles or another day for that week. Water Smart offers a water calculator to assist with scheduling your watering to maximize irrigation efficiency.

Check out this link for additional recommendations and suggestions for monitoring and limiting water usage for the summer, while still keeping your plants happy!