Landscape Watering Reminder for February
 

Be sure to take advantage of the great winter rain by using the “off',” “stop,” or “rain” setting on your controller to stop the watering cycle without disturbing your programs. Then, watch your landscape for dryness to determine when you need to turn the controller back on. While winter rains tend to be more uniform than our summer rains, amounts can still vary. Visit http://rainlog.org to see what local weather watchers have recorded in your neighborhood. Recommendations below are for plants that are established in the landscape (in the ground about 2 years). RECOMMENDATIONS:

Lawn watering: Summer grass (Bermuda) – once every 21 days Overseeded cool season grass (rye) – once every 9 days If trees and shrubs are on the same valve: Desert Adapted – once every 28 days High Water Use – once every 12 days Tree watering: Desert Adapted – once every 36 days High Water Use – once every 14 days Shrub watering: Desert Adapted – once every 21 days High Water Use – once every 10 days Groundcover and vine watering: Desert Adapted – once every 21 days High Water Use – once every 10 days Cacti and succulent watering – once every 28 days Annuals watering – once every 6-9 days Wildflower watering – once every 9-12 days

**Reduce your landscape watering 30 to 50 percent by adjusting your irrigation each season.** “Landscape Watering by the Numbers: A Guide for the Arizona Desert” will help you determine how much water to apply and how long to run your system. Visit the interactive Web site or request a free copy of the booklet at www.wateruseitwisely.com.

Bonus tip: Rainwater is very beneficial for your plants, and it's free. You can harvest rain by contouring your yard with small berms, channels, or swales to direct water runoff to your plants. For a downloadable booklet on harvesting rainwater published by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service, visit http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1052.pdf.

Note: These recommendations are a general guideline only and may need to be modified for your specific site conditions.

Sign up for a free monthly watering reminder
This online subscription service delivers a monthly e-mail outlining the appropriate watering frequencies for the different times of the year (as shown above). The service also includes reminders to turn off irrigation when there has been adequate rainfall.

To register, visit www.cityofmesa.org and click on List Subscribe located in the left navigation bar. Choose Landscape Watering Reminder, and follow the registration instructions. You can remove your name from the list at any time.

For more information about Mesa’s water conservation programs, visit www.cityofmesa.org/utilities/conservation.