Cooler weather means less watering. Here’s how much to cut back

As the winter months approach and autumn’s cooler, wetter weather rolls in, lawn needs and maintenance shift, which means less water — but don’t just turn off your sprinklers.

Matt Forrest, a grounds supervisor at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, warned that although the shorter days, cooler temperatures, and increase in precipitation may mitigate the water needs of a lawn, homeowners do still need to water.

Each lawn is different in terms of plant makeup and shade levels, so it is impossible to give a universal schedule for watering, Forrest said, but every lawn requires the most amount of water during the summer months due to high temperatures.

During the spring and fall, which are somewhat cooler, Forrest recommended that homeowners cut back the amount of water they provide their lawn in summer by 40 to 60 percent, and in the winter months they can cut back 80 to 100 percent, depending on precipitation.

During bouts of heavy winter rain, Forrest said, irrigation systems and automatic sprinklers can be turned off, but some minor supplemental manual watering may be necessary between days of rain.

Forrest said that homeowners who want to easily manage their lawn water systems can purchase rain sensors that automatically shut off sprinkler or irrigation systems when exposed to a certain amount of rainfall.

Although most of Sacramento county is not currently affected by drought, much of the Central Valley is experiencing mild to moderate drought conditions, which Forrest said means homeowners should definitely curtail watering when they can.

“The mindset is to conserve water and manage water so we don’t waste it,” Forrest said. “So we should be watering appropriately, not overwatering just to water.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2018 at 8:00 AM.