Fall in Southern California rarely follows the calendar. October can bring some of the hottest days of the year, dry Santa Ana winds and low humidity. Then, often without much warning, the first storms arrive. This year NOAA is forecasting a very strong El Niño, which could mean a wetter-than-normal winter.
That kind of swing is hard on a landscape, and hard on a fixed watering schedule. Water too little in a warm October and plants stress. Keep watering through a week of rain and you waste water, add to runoff and can damage roots and slopes. Here is how to set up your irrigation so it handles both.
1. Why a Fixed Schedule Doesn’t Work This Time of Year
Many controllers are set once in spring and changed only when something looks wrong. In fall, that approach falls short quickly.
- A schedule set for summer will overwater once temperatures drop.
- A schedule cut back too early can leave plants short during an October heat wave or a windy week.
- A controller that doesn’t know it rained will keep running right through a storm.
The goal is a system that adjusts with the weather instead of waiting for someone to notice.
2. Adjust Gradually Through the Fall
Whether you have a smart controller or not, a few habits make a big difference:
- Step down gradually. Reduce run times in stages as temperatures fall, rather than all at once.
- Wait for a pattern. Make permanent seasonal changes to the program only after the new weather has held for about two weeks. One hot day or one storm isn’t a new season.
- Water early. For lawns and annuals, early morning (roughly 4 to 7 a.m.) reduces evaporation and helps prevent disease.
- Watch the wind. During Santa Ana conditions, soil and plants dry out faster. Check containers and newer plantings more often.
- Treat slopes carefully. Slopes that are already wet from irrigation hold less rain. Turn slope zones down as the rainy season approaches.
3. Let a Smart Controller Help
Weather-based “smart” controllers, like Hunter’s Hydrawise, connect to local weather data. They adjust watering based on temperature, humidity, wind and rain in the forecast. We covered this in more depth in Value of Smart Irrigation Timers.
- They increase watering during hot, dry stretches and reduce it when it cools down.
- They can skip scheduled watering when rain is forecast.
- They can be managed from a phone or computer, so adjustments don’t require a visit to the controller.
These automatic adjustments do help avoid overwatering and underwatering, up to a point. Most of them work by watering a percentage more or less based on the past few days of weather. But most plants respond better to a change in how often they’re watered, not just how long. Getting that right still takes an experienced landscaper who knows your garden: the plant types and their age, the soil, and how much water each area really needs.
Pro tip: A smart controller is only as good as its setup. Make sure each zone is programmed for its plant type, sun exposure and sprinkler type. A zone of shrubs on drip should not be watered like a lawn on sprays. Our guide How to Program Your Timer walks through it.
4. Add Sensors for What Actually Happened
In our experience, sensors are the most helpful upgrade you can add. Forecasts are predictions. A controller that relies on the forecast alone can skip watering when rain never comes, or water when a storm arrives early. Sensors on site close that gap.
- Rain sensors measure the rain that actually fell on your property, not the forecast for your area, and pause irrigation until things dry out.
- Soil moisture sensors are the truest measure of how wet the ground is, so the system only waters when the soil needs it.
- Flow sensors and flow meters measure how much water is moving through the system. A sudden jump can signal a broken line or stuck valve, and many smart controllers can send an alert.
For a new garden, have a professional configure the controller and sensors. New plantings need a grow-in schedule that changes as the roots establish.
5. Get the System Ready Before the Rain
Storm season makes irrigation problems harder to spot, because runoff hides leaks and wet soil hides broken lines. A few checks now go a long way:
- Confirm the controller is online and the rain shut-off or rain delay is working.
- Fix broken heads, leaking valves and damaged drip lines.
- Adjust sprays so they water plants, not walls, walkways or streets.
- Know how to turn the system off quickly during a long stretch of rain.
6. After a Storm
Once the rain passes, don’t turn the system back on right away. Let the soil dry out first, then walk the property. Look for broken heads, damaged lines and zones that are now overwatering. Soil moisture sensors make this step easier, because they keep the system off until it’s actually needed.
7. What Happens During a Groundcare Irrigation Audit
The change of seasons is the best time for an irrigation audit, and fall is especially important this year. Here’s what it includes:
- Every zone, checked in person. Our technician runs each zone and looks at coverage, spray patterns, heads, leaks and drip lines.
- Programming done by hand. Any changes to the watering program are made by our team, based on your plants, soil and season.
- A result for every zone. Working properly, fixed on the spot, a repair we’ll take care of, or a recommended repair with a price.
When the audit is done, you receive a clear report by email, zone by zone. It will show one of three things:
- A clean report. Everything is working the way it should. No action needed.
- Repairs taken care of. Small repairs within your irrigation repair allowance are done during the visit, and anything left is already on our schedule.
- Repairs to approve. Recommended repairs are listed with a price. Approve the ones you want right from the report, and we’ll confirm the date with you. Anything you don’t approve simply waits until you’re ready.
Between visits, we keep an eye on the smart controllers we manage, so we can catch problems like leaks early.
An audit is especially worth it on larger properties, older systems, or anywhere water bills have crept up without an obvious reason. You get a clear picture of your system, and you stay in control of what gets repaired and when.
We’re Here to Help
Smart irrigation takes a lot of the guesswork out of an unpredictable season. If you’d like help setting up a smart controller, adding sensors or scheduling an irrigation audit, contact us.
If you don’t already have a landscape partner, look for a professional who is a member of the California Landscape Contractors Association. Groundcare is proud to be an active CLCA member, and we believe in what the association stands for: professionalism, education and doing the work right.
