Samples of Irrigation Schedules
Many homeowners request irrigation schedules to help them program their traditional controllers. Any schedule provided needs to be adjusted based on the type of watering device, soil, slope and plants.
The right controller, when properly scheduled, can result in significant water savings and lower water bills. The goal of an efficient watering schedule is to irrigate only the amount of water that is needed by the plant. Most landscapes are over-watered by as much as 50 percent more water than what the plants need.
For detailed information, go to www.smwd.com/watering
Sample Seasonal Watering Schedules - Southern Orange County
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days per Week | 2 | 4 | 2 | Off |
| Start Times per Day | 2 | 2 | 2 | Off |
| Minutes per Station | 5 | 5 | 5 | Off |
| Total Minutes per Day | 10 | 10 | 10 | Off |
| Total Minutes per Week | 20 | 40 | 20 | Off |
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days per Week | 2 | 3 | 2 | Off |
| Start Times per Day | 2 | 2 | 2 | Off |
| Minutes per Station | 4 | 4 | 3 | Off |
| Total Minutes per Day | 8 | 8 | 6 | Off |
| Total Minutes per Week | 16 | 24 | 12 | Off |
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days per Week | 2 | 2 | 1 | Off |
| Start Times per Day | 1 | 1 | 1 | Off |
| Minutes per Station | 20 | 30 | 30 | Off |
| Total Minutes per Day | 20 | 30 | 30 | Off |
| Total Minutes per Week | 40 | 60 | 30 | Off |
Note: Your irrigation system may need more or less time based on weather conditions, soil type, slope and performance; distribution uniformity, precipitation rates (spray or drip).
You can save literally thousands of gallons of water on your landscape, and save your plants from drowning, just by ensuring the proper settings of your irrigation controller. But you can't just set it and forget it - to get those savings; you need to change the watering schedules with the changing seasons.
Programming your controller:
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Set the current time and day and replace the back-up battery (open the controller panel) that holds the program memory.
Start with program A for your lawn areas. Group stations or valves that require the same watering frequencies together on the same program.
Select each station and enter the minutes of watering time for each valve.
Select the time you'd like your irrigation to start. You can have 2 or 3 different start times per day. Program start times should be one or more hours apart to allow the water to soak in and prevent run-off.
Select the days you want your irrigation to run, making sure you don't water on the same day you mow the lawn.
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Program A is complete. Use programs B & C for other zones that require less water, such as ground covers, shrubs, low water use plantings, or for zones that are on different sprinkler types, like drip.
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Use the seasonal percent (%) adjust feature if your controller has it. You can fine-tune your watering times based on this percent. Go to www.bewaterwise.com and use the seasonal, weekly, or daily watering (%) index.
Definitions:
NUMBER OF DAYS ON: Typical irrigation controllers allow a program to be scheduled to operate any day of the week. Operation can happen on any number of selected days. Adding or subtracting days is a common way to adjust controllers for increasing or decreasing seasonal water requirements. Multiple Programs A, B, and C, allow you to run different valves on different days with different run times.
START TIMES: Each program in the controller has two to four start times depending on the model of the irrigation controller. Repeated start times allows for the "Cycle and Soak" principle by giving time for the water to be absorbed into the soil and thereby avoid run-off . If we need 10 minutes of watering, per day, then we would use two start times one hour apart with a 5 minute station run time each. Start times for different programs should not conflict with each other.
MINUTES PER STATION: Each station or valve is given a run time in minutes that is determined by the amount of time it takes for water to saturate the soil and start running off. A typical time for water to run off in clay soils with a spray system is 5 minutes. This is the maximum amount of watering time that you should apply to allow the soil to absorb the water. This is known as "Cycle and Soak". Apply water and allow time for it to soak in before applying additional required water.
TOTAL MINUTES PER WEEK: The suggested watering schedules are based on the average historic weather data and corresponding monthly irrigation requirements. We assume the irrigation system is well designed and maintained. Your individual irrigation system may apply water faster or slower based on the design, type and spacing of sprinkler heads. Also, significant differences in temperatures can occur throughout the year that are out of the monthly averages. For these reasons YOU MAY HAVE TO ADJUST UP OR DOWN to meet the watering needs of your lawns and landscaping.