How to Set Your Sprinkler Timer for Healthy Plants

Use Seasonal Adjust on Your Sprinkler Timer!

The “Seasonal Adjust” feature on your timer allows you to easily change your sprinkler run times according to the season so that your plants receive the right amount of moisture to be healthy.

This feature is especially helpful if your sprinkler system has many stations (also called “zones”). Rather than having to program each station individually, Seasonal Adjust allows you to increase or decrease all of the station run times in 5 percent increments with just one step.

Here’s how it works:

 

Plants need different amounts of water at different times of the year:

  • Summer is peak watering season.
  • Spring and fall are about half of summer.
  • Winter, plants typically require no extra water.

Seasonal Adjust lets you easily change watering times according to this pattern using percentages of maximum water volume:

  • In summer, set Seasonal Adjust to 100 percent, watering for the hottest, driest time of year.
  • In fall, set Seasonal Adjust to about 75 percent, adjusting for the shorter, cooler days.
  • In winter, turn your sprinkler timer to off and let Mother Nature help with the watering.
  • In spring, set timer to about 50 percent, increasing watering times as the days become warmer and longer.

Follow this pattern each season—or (even better) at least once a month—to help ensure your plants get only the water they need—without any waste.

Take a look at this brief video to learn more!