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Our newsletter is monthly unless we have significant rain events.
Perhaps you're so excited to see rain that you've forgotten to turn off your automatic irrigation timer.
If you haven’t already done so, use the 'off' 'stop' or 'rain' setting on your controller to stop the watering cycle without disturbing your programs (see a great how-to video from Town of Gilbert). In fact, any time you receive one-half inch of rain or more, we recommend that you stop the watering cycle on your controller to help save water and money.
 How much rainfall did you get?
If you don’t have a rain gauge, see what your neighborhood weather watchers are recording at www.rainlog.org. You can also find excellent information at the Maricopa County Flood Control rainfall data maps.
Most winter storms typically provide uniform rain across the valley. However, so far, we have seen that these storms have been somewhat localized with differing rainfall amounts.
When do you turn your irrigation back on?
Keep an eye on your landscape to determine when you need to turn the controller back on. You can skip at least one, maybe two, irrigation cycles. For example, if you water your grass every 6 days, turn it back on after 12 day (if you have dormant Bermuda, you should not be watering at all, the winter rains have provided adequate moisture).
Take advantage of free water!
One inch of rain off a rooftop of a 1,500 square foot home can collect about 900 gallons of water! Add 3,000 square feet of landscape (a typical front and back yard) and you can collect another 1,800 gallons. That’s why it pays to look into rainwater harvesting techniques to keep this beneficial resource on your property. Learn more.
Got Weeds? One benefit of such a dry year is that weed growth is down. However, if you have some, don't forget that weeds may compete with landscape plants for water. After a good soaking rain is a great time to hand pull them. It's a lot easier to pull out the entire weed, roots and all.
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