It’s the dog days of summer, but with slightly shorter days and higher humidity, water needs of plants do decrease a little. Summer monsoons and lightning mean power outages. Make sure you’ve replaced the battery in your irrigation timer within the past year (if it has that option). Battery backup will maintain your programs and clock during an outage. These recommendations are for plants that are established in the landscape (in the ground about 2 years).
Lawn watering:
Summer grass (Bermuda) - once every 3-4 days
Overseeded cool season grass (rye) - grass dies out
If trees and shrubs are on the same valve:
Desert Adapted - once every 15 days
High Water Use - once every 8 days
Tree watering:
Desert Adapted - once every 17 days
High Water Use - once every 9 days
Shrub watering:
Desert Adapted - once every 13 days
High Water Use - once every 6 days
Groundcover and vine watering:
Desert Adapted - once every 12 days
High Water Use - once every 5 days
Cacti and succulent watering - once every 22 days
Annuals watering - once every 2-3 days
These recommendations are a general guideline only and may need to be modified for your specific site conditions.
Bonus tip: WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), makes it easy for consumers to save water and protect the environment. Look for the WaterSense label to choose quality, water-efficient products and services, including landscape irrigation services.
**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.