Watering tips
Drip it, don't drown it.
Plants and trees need MUCH LESS WATER than grass. Not sure what the difference is between sprinklers and drip irrigation? You aren't alone.
When it comes to landscapes, watering isn't "one size fits all." How long and often you water your landscape depends largely on the type of plants, shrubs and irrigation components you have. It also varies by time of year.
Whether you have sprinklers or drip irrigation — or both — it's important to know the difference between them, how they work, and when to use them.
💧 Drip watering
Drip irrigation is truly beneficial to plants in desert environments. Drip irrigation systems deliver water more slowly and efficiently, and they should run longer but less frequently than sprinkler systems.
The length of each watering should be determined by the emitter flow rate, soil type, and weather conditions.
It's easy to accidentally overwater your plants on drip systems! Use the information on this page to determine the correct run times for your landscape.
How often to water
Seasonal watering restrictions apply to customers with drip irrigation systems. While drip irrigation may occur any day of the week, the number of days is limited by season.
Plants need far less water than grass. Here's how we recommend you run drip irrigation systems during each season:
- Winter: 1 day a week or less
- Spring and fall: 2 days a week
- Summer: 4 days a week
How long to water
Determine the amount of time to water based on the rate of flow of your drip emitters.
| Emitter type | Length of each watering |
|---|---|
| High-flow emitter (Up to 20 gph) | 20 - 40 minutes or less |
| Low-flow emitter (Up to 4 gph) | 30 minutes or less |
| Low-flow emitter (Up to 2 gph) | 60 minutes or less |
| Low-flow emitter (Up to 1 gph) | 90 minutes or less |
High-flow or low-flow? Don't know?
- Low-flow: Beads on tip or drips slowly
- High-flow: Streams like a water fountain
- gph: Gallons per hour, often marked on the emitter head. There are many emitter types.
🌳 Tree irrigation
Trees should be watered well enough to penetrate the soil to a depth of 18 to 24 inches. The type of tree and the season will determine a watering schedule.
Avoid these mistakes when dealing with drip irrigation for trees:
- Setting your irrigation controller for your tree to run the same as spray irrigation
- Mixing irrigation components
- Not using filters or pressure regulator
- Not properly burying drip irrigation lines
- Applying too much gravel mulch before establishing wetting patterns
- Poor emitter placement which results in poor wetting patterns
- Not maintaining the drip irrigation system
💦 Sprinkler watering
The type of grass you have will determine how much water your lawn requires. Adding or removing one minute from a 4-minute sprinkler cycle, for example, will change the amount of water you use by 25 percent.
When to water
Water during the warmer part of the day during winter months to prevent water from freezing on your landscape. Water between midnight and sunrise from May to October to minimize water lost to evaporation.
Monitor how many minutes you can run your sprinkler system before water starts to run off the property. Stop the run cycle at that point. Allow the water to be fully absorbed before beginning the next cycle.
Sprinkler tips
- Warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda, require about one-third less water.
- If you have rotating sprinklers, water for 12 minutes each watering, rather than 4 minutes.
- Don't water when it's windy or rainy.
- Water your lawn on a separate schedule from your plants, trees and shrubs.
- Test, adjust and repair your sprinkler heads and drip emitters weekly in the summer and monthly in the winter.
- Always check your sprinkler system for malfunctions after mowing.
- Modify spray patterns from sprinkler heads by re-adjusting for better direction or installing variable arc nozzles.
- Use an SNWA instant rebate coupon to replace your irrigation clock with a smart controller.
- Get a rebate to replace your water-thirsty grass with a water smart landscape.
How to water grass
Our parched desert soil makes it tough for water to soak in very deep. That's why we suggest three 4-minute watering cycles.
- SHORT CYCLES each watering day
- MINUTES each cycle
- HOUR BREAK between cycles
12 minutes total DAILY MAX
Seasonal tips
An important part of a healthy, beautiful landscape is efficient watering for the appropriate season.
- Mandatory spring watering restrictions: During March and April, landscape irrigation is limited to three assigned days per week. Watering restrictions also apply to drip irrigation. Sunday is not an optional watering day. Find your watering group.
- Drip watering: Drip irrigated landscapes need far less water than grass. We recommend watering two days a week in spring. The length of watering depends upon the type of drip emitter. Learn more about drip irrigation.
- Spring ahead for Daylight Saving Time: Don't forget to set your irrigation clock ahead an hour when daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March. This also is a great time to check your clock's batteries.
- Save water on rainy days: Turn your irrigation clock off on rainy days or replace it with a smart irrigation clock to do the work for you.
- Check your irrigation system: Inspect filter screens for damage and clean them by opening the end of the filter and running water through briefly. Then, soak the screens in a 50/50 water and vinegar solution if there is mineral buildup. To flush the irrigation lines, find the end cap and briefly run the system to flush out debris. Check valve boxes for debris buildup or muddy conditions indicating poor drainage.
