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AUSTIN — Sprinkler season is here. With temperatures already climbing near 100 degrees this spring, we are looking at a hot dry summer ahead.
Many homeowners “turn up the volume” on their irrigation systems in response to summer weather. If you are one of them, it can be hard on your wallet, hard on your plants, and hard on your utility’s water treatment plant.
Established landscape plants and turf that are adapted to this area should be watered no more than twice per week, even during the hottest part of the year. To be able to use your system efficiently, however, you must have at least 4 to 6 inches of soil under the plants. For optimal watering, saturate the root zone of the plants, then allow the soil to dry before watering again.
In the thin soils of the Hill Country, putting out half an inch of water twice a week should accomplish this. If you are on a slope, you will want to set your irrigation controller to multiple start times to apply the one-half inch a little at a time.
Watering every day can cause root rot in drought-tolerant plants and fungal problems in turf. If you are in doubt about whether to water, dig down and see if the soil is moist. Remember that plants often droop during very hot weather, and bounce back after the sun goes down.
Time of day is another important consideration in watering. To minimize loss to evaporation, it is best to water between 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. In many areas, water use peaks at around 6 a.m., when many sprinkler systems and showers are operating simultaneously. By setting your irrigation system to start in the late evening or the early morning hours, you can help ease pressure on your water treatment system, while making the most of the water that the system sends out.
LCRA recommends that its retail customers water no more than twice a week. Check with your local water utility for its recommended summer watering schedule. In some parts of Central Texas, once every five days is the recommended schedule. (Are you a resident of the City of Austin? See Austin's five-day watering schedule.)
By getting on a schedule this summer, you will be doing your yard a favor and helping manage the increased water demand that occurs during hot, dry weather.
Elizabeth Drozda-Freeman is the conservation landscape specialist for the Lower Colorado River Authority. She can be reached at (512) 473-3200, Ext.2230, or elizabeth.drozda-freeman@lcra.org if you have comments, questions or suggestions for future gardening topics.
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