Good morning! We just moved to a new home. I am a gardening novice in need of assistance! Our property is equipped with an irrigation system, however, the previous owner unplugged it so I need to set up a new schedule. Do you have recommendations for the number of days and length of time I should water? In addition to the lawn, we have some ornamental grass, shrubs and flowering bushes. Thank you for your time!

An irrigation system can be a wonderful labor saving device, but as with most things, they need to be used properly to be most effective. Planning is absolutely critical when you are thinking about installing an irrigation system. Keep in mind that different plants will have different water requirements, so group similar plants together so that you are not drowning some plants at the same time that you are watering others. The amount of water needed by plants is also dependant on weather conditions of course and –importantly---soil structure and condition.

In general, once most plants are well established, a thorough deep watering once weekly will meet water requirements. If you have new plantings, then watering more frequently will be necessary for a time to ensure good establishment of your plants, but the water should be gradually cut back.

Set the system to come on in the early morning hours-just at sunrise. This is when the air tends to be still so you lose less water to evaporation and it gives plenty of time for the leaves to dry off quickly which helps to prevent disease problems.