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Landscape Watering Guidelines
- Effective irrigation system design, installation and maintenance are important.
- Sprinklers should serve only the required turf areas and not spray on buildings, fences, or non-landscaped areas.
- Watering should be done before sunrise to reduce evaporation losses.
- Turf areas, planters, trees, and shrubs should be watered separately to meet varying water needs.
- Always irrigate the entire depth and width of the root zone regardless of the time of year.
- Once or twice a year, water twice as long to leach out salts that build up in our soils.
- See the Landscape Watering Guidelines Flyer
Landscape Watering Guidelines for Established & New Plants | ||||||
How Much & How Often |
Seasonal Frequency Days Between Waterings |
Water This Deeply | ||||
Spring Mar-May |
Summer May - Oct |
Fall Oct - Dec |
Winter Dec - Mar |
|||
Trees | Desert Adapted | 14 - 30 days | 7 - 21 days | 14 - 30 days | 30 - 60 days | 24 - 36 inches |
High Water Use | 7 - 12 days | 7 - 10 days | 7 - 12 days | 14 - 30 days | 24 - 36 inches | |
Shrubs | Desert Adapted | 14 - 30 days | 7 - 21 days | 14 - 30 days | 30 - 45 days | 18 - 24 inches |
High Water Use | 7 - 10 days | 5 - 7 days | 7 - 10 days | 10 - 14 days | 18 - 24 inches | |
Ground-covers and Vines |
Desert Adapted | 14 - 30 days | 7 - 21 days | 14 - 30 days | 21 - 45 days | 8 - 12 inches |
High Water Use | 7 - 10 days | 2 - 5 days | 7 - 10 days | 10 - 14 days | 8 - 12 inches | |
Cacti & Succulents | 21 - 45 days | 14 - 30 days | 21 - 45 days | If needed | 8 - 12 inches | |
Annuals | 3 - 7 days | 2 - 5 days | 3 - 7 days | 5 - 10 days | 8 - 12 inches | |
Warm Season Grass | 4 - 14 days | 3 - 6 days | 6 - 21 days | 15 - 30 days | 6 - 10 inches | |
Cool Season Grass | 3 - 7 days | None | 3 - 10 days | 7 - 14 days | 6 - 10 inches | |
Note: These guidelines are for established plants (1 year for shrubs, 3 years for trees). Additional water is needed for new plantings or unusually hot or dry weather. Less water is needed during cool or rainy weather. Drip run times are typically 2 hours or more for each watering. |
Watering Schedule for Newly Planted Desert Adapted Plants | ||||||
How Much & How Often |
Spring Mar - May |
Summer May - Oct |
Fall Oct - Dec |
Winter Dec - Mar |
||
Weeks 1 & 2 | 3-4 days | 1-2 days | 3-4 days | 3-4 days | ||
Weeks 3 & 4 | 6-7 days | 3-4 days | 6-7 days | 6-7 days | ||
Weeks 5 & 6 | 7-10 days | 4-6 days | 7-10 days | 7-10 days | ||
Weeks 7 & 8 | 10-14 days | 7 days | 10-14 days | 10-14 days | ||
After week 8 | Gradually extend the time between irrigations until plants are established | |||||
Note: After the eighth week, move the drip emitters to the outer edge of the root ball. High water use plants may require more frequent irrigations. Water deeply to 24-36 inches for Trees, 18-24 inches for Shrubs, 8-12 inches for groundcover, vines, caucus, succulents & annuals, and 6-10 inches for warm and cool season grasses. |
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Questions or comments?
Contact the Water Resource Portfolio Division at conservewater@surpriseaz.gov