Irrigation Schedule & Tips

This irrigation schedule should only serve as a recommendation for landscapes in Arizona. Poor irrigation scheduling practices are one of the problems regularly seen in commercial and residential landscapes. It is best to understand the general principles. Some general principles behind irrigation are as follows:

• As the weather warms up, soils dry out quicker, requiring more frequent applications of water to keep the plant alive. A better strategy is to apply more water but wait longer in between irrigation’s. This encourages the roots of plants to grow deeper into the soil where evaporation is less.
• Plantings in early development need water more frequently and for shorter periods of time. Over time, water should be applied less frequently and for longer durations.
• Plants have different rooting depths and watering requirements. In general, annuals and grasses have roots extending down up to 12 inches, shrubs 24 inches, and trees 36 inches.
• Watering too frequently can also result in the growth of fungus which can damage or kill your plants. The soil near the surface should be given time to dry out between watering.
• Water in the earlier parts of the day. Cooler temperatures in the earliest part of the morning help to reduce evaporation losses from various irrigation systems. This is also usually the least windy time of day, so sprinkler systems will spray water more efficiently.
• An irrigation timer can help save water in a landscape. Establish an appropriate irrigation schedule for the site conditions and learn how to set the schedule with the timer.

Ask our ScapeTech Specialist on recommended amounts of water to use.