May Tips of the Month

Irrigation

In a single family residence, the clear majority of water being used is in the landscape. Over 50% of our water is being used to irrigate our plants and trees. Now is the time to plan for the summer heat and to be water conscious.

1. Lawn: If you have lawn, keep the grass taller by approximately 2” to 3” during these hot months. The taller you keep your lawn, the less water will evaporate and it will promote stronger root systems.  If you want to conserve water even more, try an alternative lawn like native grasses or drought tolerant ground covers.

2. Timer: Have a rain sensor installed onto your timer.  When it rains, the sensor will trigger the timer to turn off and engage it to turn on once the soil has had time to dry.  The rain sensor is regulated by the amount of rain that it captures and will turn the timer off automatically when the sensor’s water absorbing material expands.  This simple addition to your irrigation system prevents over-watering, overuse and overspending. Many cities in California are giving rebates to install these adjustable components. 

3. Drip Irrigation: Have drip irrigation installed to irrigate your plants and trees in the landscape. Installing drip can save a large amount of money.  Drip irrigation systems allow water to come out at a slower rate than other types of applications, thus letting the water percolate into the soil/plant roots where it belongs, and preventing wasteful runoff. 

4. Sprinklers: Have your sprinklers adjusted.  Adjust your sprinklers, making sure they are upright, and not leaning over. This will prevent over spray to unnecessary areas such as hardscapes, sidewalks, pathways, and streets. The average irrigation system lasts around 10 years. Periodic maintenance and retrofitting may need to be done thereafter. Our maintenance staff proactively looks for obvious problems and reports or repairs them routinely but our trained and experienced irrigation technicians are required to perform the true audits. Ask All Seasons to do an irrigation audit and repair if you suspect that there are problems with your system.  Let’s do our part to be water conscious!  For more information you can visit your local utility’s web site to find out the specifics for your area. Each city in SLO County relies on different water sources and hence they have their own billing structure, rebate programs and regulations.  References: www.slocity.org/utilities/concervyard.asp