Seasonal Watering
Adjusting your irrigation controller for seasonal watering is simple and adds up to year-round savings on your water bill.
Seasonal savings at your fingertips
Seasonal changes in temperature, rainfall and hours of daylight influence a plant’s water requirements. Paying attention to these factors can really pay off when you use the seasonal adjust button on your irrigation controller – you can save up to 30% of your annual water use.
In San Antonio, natural rainfall patterns usually mean spring and fall rains with scattered storms throughout the summer. Water your yard to fill the gaps during the hot months and dial it back when plants need less water in other seasons.
Set your controller to save
- Set the seasonal adjust to your baseline. This is 100% on most controllers, but check the owner’s manual to confirm.
- Set each of the zone run times to the recommended minutes found in the Watering Guidelines (on the right).
- Use your seasonal adjust button to dial down the percentage during other months. For example, if you set each of your station run times to 20 minutes during summer and then turn the seasonal adjust to 80% in April, it will reduce all of the stations’ run times to 16 minutes. Easy savings indeed!
- Remember to only water in the absence of rainfall.
Turn your irrigation system OFF during the winter and run it manually once per month with the seasonal adjust button set to 10% as part of your regular monthly maintenance.
Need a little help remembering? Sign up for our seasonal adjust email list for a monthly reminder.
Watering Guidelines
Follow our recommended watering schedule based on sprinkler type and location. Keep an eye on your plants and adjust as necessary. Remember, watering is only one part of plant health. There may be another issue if your plants are not looking their best.
Once-a-week on your designated day:
- grass/sprays — 15-20 min
- grass/rotors — 25-35 min
- bed/spray — 12-18 min
- bed/drip — 45 min
Adjust season percent to:
- Dec/Jan/Feb 0%
- March 50-60%
- April 60-70%
- May 80-90%
- June 90-100%
- July/Aug/Sept 100%
- Oct 70-80%
- Nov 40-50%
Got Sprinklers?
Need help setting the controller for your in-ground system? Schedule a free Irrigation Consultation! Our irrigation consultants can check for leaks and set a watering schedule tailored to your landscape with advice on how to water seasonally. You may also qualify for an Irrigation Design Rebate.