San Jose Water Company area watering tips: |
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Spring |
Summer |
Fall |
Winter |
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Turf
Grass |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
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Number of days
on |
3 |
4 |
2 |
System off |
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Start times |
3 |
3 |
3 |
System off |
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minutes per station |
5 |
5 |
5 |
System off |
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total minutes per week |
45 |
60 |
30 |
System off |
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Spring |
Summer |
Fall |
Winter |
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Ground
Cover and Shrubs |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
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Number of days
on |
2 |
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3 |
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2 |
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System off |
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Start times |
2 |
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2 |
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2 |
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System off |
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minutes per station |
5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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System off |
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total minutes per week |
20 |
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30 |
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20 |
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System off |
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Spring |
Summer |
Fall |
Winter |
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Drought
Tolerant Plants |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
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Number of days
on |
1 |
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2 |
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1 |
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System off |
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Start times |
2 |
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2 |
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2 |
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System off |
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minutes per station |
5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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System off |
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total minutes per week |
10 |
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20 |
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10 |
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System off |
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Note: The data above is only a guide. How much water to apply (min/day) is based on weather
conditions, soil type, slope and performance; distribution uniformity,
precipitation rates (spray or drip). |
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You can save literally thousands of gallons of water on your
landscape, and save your plants from drowning, just by ensuring the proper
settings of your irrigation controller. |
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But
you can't just set it and forget it - to get those savings; you need to
change the watering schedules with the changing seasons. |
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Programming your controller: |
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1. Set the
current time and day and replace the back-up battery that holds the program
memory. |
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2. Start
with program A for your lawn areas. Group stations or valves that require the
same watering frequencies together on the same program. |
3. Select
each station and enter the minutes of watering time for each valve. |
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4. Select
the time you'd like your irrigation to start. You can have 2 or 3 different
start times per day. |
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Program
start times should be one or more hours apart to allow the water to soak in
and prevent run-off. |
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5. Select
the days you want your irrigation to run, making sure you don't water on the
same day you mow the lawn. |
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6.
Program A is complete. Use programs B & C for other zones that require
less water, such as ground covers, shrubs, low water use plantings, etc. |
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DEFINITIONS |
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SPRING
- The season of growth! March,
April and May are considered the months of spring in
California. |
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Typically
plants start to require supplemental water from irrigation systems during
these months. |
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Average
maximum daily temperatures in the Santa Clara Valley region typically range
from 64 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit during these months. |
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With no
rainfall and temperatures in this range, use the spring schedule. |
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SUMMER
- The warmest season of the year. |
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June,
July, and August are the months when plants slow their growth because the
heat stresses their growing ability. |
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The
days are long and the average maximum daily temperatures range from 76 to 80
degrees. |
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July
is typically the hottest month of the year requiring an average of 6.75
inches of irrigation for lawns. |
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Re-set your
controller to provide the necessary water for summer. |
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FALL
- The season of harvest. September,
October, and November are considered the months of
fall. |
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The
days begin to get shorter and the average maximum daily temperatures
continuously drop, moving from 80 down to 65 degrees. |
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As
the days get shorter and temperature drops, you don't need to water as
frequently as you did in the middle of summer. |
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The average
inches of irrigation for lawns are: September – 4.5", October -
3.5" and November - 2". |
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WINTER
- The season of short days and lowest temperatures. December, January, and February are
considered the months of winter. |
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Rainfall
normally takes care of any water requirements for your landscaping during
this period. |
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Colder
temperatures slow plant growth and eliminate the need for additional water
from irrigation systems. |
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It is very
important to turn your controller off during these months. In dry years
supplemental water might be needed as early as February. |
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NUMBER
OF DAYS ON: Typical irrigation controllers allow a program
to be scheduled to operate any day of the week. |
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Operation
can happen on any number of selected days. |
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Adding
or subtracting days is a common way to adjust controllers for increasing or
decreasing seasonal water requirements. |
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Multiple
Programs A, B, and C, allow you to run different valves on different days
with different run times. |
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MINUTES
PER STATION: Each station or valve is given a run time in
minutes that is determined by the amount of time it |
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takes
for water to saturate the soil and start running off. |
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A
typical time for water to run off in clay soils with a spray system is 5
minutes. |
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This
is the maximum amount of watering time that you should apply to allow the
soil to absorb the water. |
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This is
known as "Cycle and Soak". Apply water and allow time for it to
soak in before applying additional required water. |
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START
TIMES: Each program in the controller has two to four start
times depending on the model of the irrigation controller. |
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Repeated
start times allows for the "Cycle and Soak" principle by giving
time for the water to be absorbed into the soil and thereby avoid run-off . |
If
we need 10 minutes of watering, per day, then we would use two start times
one hour apart with a 5 minute station run time each. |
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Start times
for different programs should not conflict with each other. |
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TOTAL MINUTES PER WEEK: |
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We
assume the irrigation system is well designed and maintained. |
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Your
individual irrigation system may apply water faster or slower based on the
design, type and spacing of sprinkler heads. |
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Also,
significant differences in temperatures can occur throughout the year that
are out of the monthly averages. |
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For these
reasons YOU MAY HAVE TO ADJUST UP OR DOWN to meet the watering needs of your
lawns and landscaping. |
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