General Tips

Less is More - More damage is caused to our plants and grass from over-watering than from under-watering. When setting up your schedules be conservative to start and add more time when plants begin to look stressed.

Losing its Spring - Grass signals that it needs water by losing its spring: When you walk across the lawn and see your footprints, your lawn probably needs to be watered.

Grass Height - Set your mower to one of the highest settings. There are several reasons not to cut your grass too short:

1. Keeping grass longer allows it greater surface area to carry out photosynthesis, which in turn results in healthier plants. In addition, taller grass grows slower than shorter grass. You can use this fact to eliminate up to 20 percent of the mowing you do annually—an average savings of about eight hours a year, not to mention the savings of gasoline and wear on equipment.

2. By keeping your grass at the upper end of its recommended mowing height, you can prevent most weeds from germinating—and thereby eliminate the need for herbicides.

Take Control - Weather-based irrigation controllers (wbic) are a great way to automate seasonal irrigation adjustments. Rebates for these devices may be available through your water retailer.

Fall Irrigation - In Central and Eastern Contra Costa County, in September through November, temperatures may still be relatively hot and your plants may seem to require similar watering patterns to the summer. However, the days become shorter and the sun is lower in the sky, thus evaporation decreases and plants' water needs drop. Plants only require approximately 50% of their peak need in September and only 25% of peak need by November in Central and Eastern Contra Costa County.

Next - Watering Device Types