80 Percent May Water Wrong

 

At his Ashland, Ore. home, irrigation specialist Eric Setterberg waters the yard with an automatic system with pop-up heads.

Only a small portion of property owners set irrigation control systems correctly, several Oregon water conservation specialists tell the Southern Oregon Mail Tribune.

"People always overwater," water expert Robbin Pearce told the paper. "Only one in 10 water appropriately. Plants get used to too much water, but they do get mildew and fungus."

The statement doesn?EUR??,,????'???t cover irrigation professionals, but does imply that many contractors who aren?EUR??,,????'???t trained could benefit from more irrigation training.

It?EUR??,,????'???s possible, Pearce and others say, to water plants adequately during the summer months without spending all day at it or breaking the bank. In fact, says Ashland city irrigation specialist Eric Setterberg, water bills should increase by only 10 percent during extreme heat.

Irrigation Tips:

• Water in the morning, early ?EUR??,,????'??+ say, between 5 and 7 a.m. This allows plants to drink the water before the sun gets hot and evaporates it, yet it also allows the sun to clean up moisture in the garden so it doesn?EUR??,,????'???t sit on leaves causing mold and mildew, says Master Gardener Marsha Waite of Medford.
• Water 15 minutes every day or every other day ?EUR??,,????'??+ and every third day for shrubs in the hottest weather, says Waite. She drops to every fourth day when the weather falls into the 80s.
• Study up on individual plant requirements and watch results, she advises. Then, to measure how much water you?EUR??,,????'???re applying, set empty tuna cans in your beds and multiply by four what they collects in 15 minutes. That?EUR??,,????'???s how much you?EUR??,,????'???re watering in an hour.
• If you have an automatic irrigation system in your yard, increase the volume it puts out by about 10 percent anytime temperatures rise over 95 degrees, says Setterberg. Sprinkler and soaker heads often become plugged with dirt, so check to make sure they?EUR??,,????'???re emitting. Lawn sprinklers will overwater plant beds.