How to set your Irrigation Clocks in the summer

Your irrigation system has a timed controller that controls when the water is dispersed and the amount of water that is supplied to different areas around your property. The controller for these systems has the ultimate control over the hydration of your plants.

You must also remember that you control the controller. You have the ultimate and final say concerning how much water is dispersed, when the water is dispersed, and the length of time it takes for that water to be provided to any area of your lawn.

In order to conserve water and still provide your plants with the hydration they require, you need to set your irrigation clocks properly. These clocks tell the unit when to start watering and when to stop watering.

Useful Terms for you to know

There are only three basic terms that you need to understand in order to set your irrigation clocks. They are:

• Station is a reference to which water valve is being controlled
• Valve is the device that opens to release water and closes to stop water from coming out
• Zone is the place in your yard that a particular valve controls
• Runtime refers to the length of time the valve will be open in each zone
• Start time refers to the exact time the valve will be opened

Getting Prepared

Before you can set your clocks you must prepare yourself with the following information.

• The correct time of day
• The chosen days you want the system to water on (you have to know your plants and what their hydration requirements are in order to make the right selection here)
• What time of day you want the system to start the water (you need to know the areas of your yard and when the sun will be beating down on the plants each day)
• What time of day you want the system to stop watering (you need to calculate how much water each plant needs and how long your system will have to be supplying water at a specific flow rate in order to meet the hydration requirements)

Setting the Timers

The timer on your irrigation system has several programs for you to choose from. Each program on the controlled system will operate different stations or water valves. You set your timer programs according to the amount of water each section of your yard needs.

Grass usually needs to be watered two to three times each week during the summer months.

Some of your shrubberies needs to be watered once in a period of 7 to 14 days. Some desert-adapted trees and shrubs do not need water any more often than once every two to three weeks.

Final Thoughts

To make sure that you have your irrigation clocks set properly you can call the experts at Estate Landscaping at (239) 498-1187, or Contact Us. They can give you advice and walk you through the procedure you need to follow, or come out to your home and help you set the clocks properly.