Spray Irrigation

· Check regularly for misaligned/broken sprinkler heads to avoid watering the streets or driveway

· Make sure nothing is blocking the sprinkler heads

· Look for wet spots to help find leaky/broken pipes, valves, and fittings.

· Replace broken sprinklers with the same parts or their equivalent

· With sloped yard or compacted soil, avoid runoff by using short, repeated irrigation cycles

· Brown spots may be a problem with water pressure. Instead of watering longer, water dry spots with hose until pressure improves.

· Keep emitters from being clogged. Remove the end cap on your drip system and flush the lines once a year.

· Replace missing or broken drip emitters with the same parts or their equivalent. Use matched pressure-compensating emitters.

· If you have an emitter watering a dead plant, cap the emitter

· Check the tubing to ensure is watering the intended plant

· Place the emitters near the outside of the plant’s root ball and not too close to the trunk of the plant. As the plant grows, especially trees, be sure to move the emitters farther away from the trunk, near the canopy

· Leach your soil periodically to prevent salt buildup near plant’s root zones. Leach your soil by doubling your irrigation time to carry salts away from root zones. As a rule, leach once a month from May to September unless a good rain does it for you.

(from Homeowner’s Guide to Using Water Wisely, pg 21)