We are now about halfway through winter, yet here in California, signs of spring are well underway. Trees are blossoming, daffodils have bloomed, the days are getting longer (I was working in my yard tonight until 6 pm). Unfortunately, we've been very dry for over a month, and the landscape is looking for a good drink of water.
With the weather in the current low to mid 70's, this is a great time to do an extensive check of your landscape sprinkler system. Many of us neglect our sprinklers until we experience a sprinkler emergency and break one with the lawnmower or nick a drip hose with the shovel, and then we do a quick repair and move along. Now, I'm talking about turning on the system and taking a good look at all the sprinkler heads to check for leaking, under-performance, and making sure the spray heads are spraying where they are supposed to and not wetting down the sidewalk needlessly. Make the necessary adjustments or repairs.
Cracked and leaking hose. photos by Janet Snyder
Next, turn on the drip system and look carefully all along with the drip hoses for wet areas where there shouldn't be any. Cracked hoses mean the areas beyond are not receiving an adequate supply of drip water, leading to under-watering and therefore, parched plants. Splice in a new section of the hose or replace the hose as needed. Check the emitters to see that they are dripping properly and not clogged, another way to end up with a dying plant come summer. Does your drip system still work for the plants you have in your landscape? Do you need to add emitters to new plants or eliminate emitters that are simply watering where a plant no longer stands? Have pets or critters been chewing on any of the hoses and lines of the system?
Go to your timer and set the unit to come on for a short period of time, and then watch to make sure it comes on and turns off correctly as it is set. If it no longer works for the correct amount of time, you might want to consider replacing it. Determine if you need to increase or decrease the amount of time you water in each zone and adjust as needed. You typically won't need to water in April as much as in July, so change the length of time you water to a time appropriate for and consistent with the temperatures in your area throughout the watering season. If it has a battery backup, replace the batteries with a fresh set to avoid battery leakage that can compromise the timer.
Finally, take a look at your hoses and handheld sprayers, and wands. Test them out for any leaks. Hose couplings can be spliced in to extend the life of a hose, and a $2 package of hose washers can make the sprayers last for another season. Make note of hoses and sprayers that do need replacing so that you can be on the lookout for new ones before it really starts to warm up. Be sure to determine in advance the length of hose(s) you want for each spigot so you're not wasting time trying to decide while at the garden center.
A well-maintained sprinkler and drip system is key to keeping your landscape hydrated and helping to preserve our most precious resource - water.
