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3 Summer Tips to Keep Your Lawn & Garden Healthy

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Irrigation system working properly
Get the most out of your irrigation system this summer!
It’s the middle of summer and in Texas that means scorching temperatures and thirsty landscapes. While watering restrictions are still in effect in and around Austin, it’s still possible to maintain healthy lawns and gardens. The trick is to stay on top of your irrigation system and pay attention to the signals your plants are sending you.

Here are some tips to help you make the most of both your equipment and your available allotment of water.

1. Inspect all parts of your irrigation system.

Leaks and breaks will not only create unsightly wet spots and mud puddles, they’ll also end up wasting both water and money.  As well, any clogs present in your system will restrict water flow and result in stressed and dying plants.

2. Observe your trees, plants and bushes.

Be on the lookout for leaves that are turning a lighter shade of green or yellow or are dull, wilted, or drooping. This may indicate that the plant in question requires extra watering which you may need to do by hand before 10AM or after 7PM.

Also be aware of heat wilt, a condition in which otherwise healthy plants will begin to wilt because they are tired of reflecting the intense heat they’re receiving from the sun.   To relieve this condition, you can build shade structures around them or add compost to the soil to enhance the nutrients that the plants are receiving.

3. Program your controller appropriately.

Knowing how much water your plants require and how much water your system puts out is integral to programming your irrigation controller. While you’ll only be able to water once a week using a regular irrigation system, remember that you can always hand-water as necessary.

At South Austin Irrigation, we can help you make the most of your irrigation equipment. Whether you need inspection, repairs or advice, our experts will ensure you get the very best service we can offer.  Let us show you how your lawns and gardens can survive–and thrive–in the hot summer sun of Texas!

Call South Austin Irrigation at (512) 534-7449 to find out more.

 

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Water Saving Tips

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Homeowners are always looking for ways to reduce their water bills and save money. Here are some water saving tips for your lawn and garden that will help.

Lawns and Plants

  • Add 2 to 4 inches of compost or bark mulch around trees and plants to help maintain soil moisture and prevent weed growth. To minimize water runoff, press the mulch down around each plant’s drip line to form a tiny depression.
  • Choose drought-tolerant plants, and group plants together with similar water needs. If you’re installing a lawn, select a turf mix or blend suitable for the site and climate conditions.
  • Use ollas (unglazed clay pots) to irrigate your bedded plants. Seal the drainage holes, and bury the pots so about one inch remains above ground. Fill with water and cover the pots. Water will slowly seep through the porous clay and directly irrigate the plant roots. Usually you only have to fill the pots once or twice a week.
  • Weed your garden beds — it cuts down on excess water consumption due to plant competition.
  • Plant when temperatures are cooler. The plants require less water and it’s less stressful for them.
  • Plant groundcover and shrubs rather than turf in hard-to-water sections, such as isolated strips and steep slopes.
  • Prevent over-watering of plants by checking the soil moisture depth with a trowel, shovel, or soil probe. Water if the top 2 to 3 inches is dry. You can also get a free soil moisture meter from Austin Water.
  • Change the mowing height of your lawn mower. Taller grass shades the soil, reducing moisture loss, and also encourages the growth of deeper root systems.
  • Don’t over-seed your lawn with winter grass that needs regular watering. Warm season turf, such as St. Augustine and Bermuda, goes into a form of dormancy during the winter, and doesn’t need as much water.
  • Aerate your lawn at least once a year to allow water to reach the roots, instead of running off the surface.
  • Top dress turf areas with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of compost to increase soil health. Healthy soil holds more water.
  • To prevent over-watering, use a timer on hose-end sprinklers.
  • Bathe your pets outside in an area where the lawn needs more water.
  • Use a rainwater harvesting system to capture rainwater from your roof to use on your landscape. Austin Water has a rainwater harvesting rebate.
  • Free landscape design templates, a list of drought-tolerant plants native or adapted to the area, and other gardening information to help  you develop sustainable landscaping practices is available at Grow Green.

Irrigation

  • Inspect your irrigation system regularly for any leaks or problems that may be wasting water and make needed adjustments and repairs immediately. A thorough checkup should be done each spring, summer, and fall, preferably by an irrigation professional.
  • Check the watering schedule for your address.
  • Make sure your controller is programmed properly to avoid over-watering. South Austin Irrigation can help you with your settings.
  • Start with low times and add more time if areas in your yard become dry.
  • Best time to water is in the early morning hours when wind speed and temperatures are the lowest, which reduces evaporation and waste.
  • Your lawn only needs 1 inch of water per week, even in the hottest months. Remember to take rainfall into account.
  • Water 1 day every 2 weeks in the spring and fall, compared to 1 day a week in the summer.
  • Turn your system off for the colder weather but run it a few times over the winter to keep the valves and seals lubricated, and the grass root system healthy.
  • Adjust sprinklers that are spraying too high into the air, onto pavement or the side of your home, or into tall grass and shrubs.
  • After mowing, check that sprinkler heads haven’t been run over and knocked out of alignment or broken.
  • Rebates may be available for improving the water efficiency of your irrigation system.
  • A free irrigation system evaluation is available from Austin Water for customers using 20,000 gallons in 2 consecutive months, or 25,000 gallons in 1 month of the current irrigation season. You can also do a self-audit of your system.
  • Have a licensed irrigator help you to select the most efficient irrigation types for turf, bedded plants, shrubs, and trees.

Call South Austin Irrigation at 512-694-1147 and let the experts show you how to save water and save money!

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Why You Need a Smart Controller

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smart controller and a phoneControllers were once a simple clock that could only be programmed to start and stop sprinkler run times, regardless of actual weather and soil conditions. Today’s controllers, known as smart controllers, are far more advanced than those earlier models, and if you don’t have one, you really should think about upgrading. Not only do they reduce water waste, but they’ll also save you money. In communities where there are watering restrictions, smart controllers can keep your plants and lawn healthy within conservation watering schedules. Austin Water even has a rebate program for irrigation upgrades.

Here are some of the features available in the current generation of smart irrigation controllers:

  • Programmable using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. The system’s current status can be viewed and changes made to the program remotely. Programming can also be done manually at the panel.
  • Flow sensor data. The flow sensor will shut down the system if it detects a flow higher than the programmed limit, which could indicate ruptures or leaks.
  • Rain sensor data. The controller will shut down the system if a specific amount of rain has fallen, or even prevent the system from starting if rain is detected.
  • Soil moisture sensor data. The controller won’t start the system if it senses the soil is wet enough.
  • Freezer sensor data. The controller won’t turn on if the temperature drops to a specific degree (e.g. 37 degrees).
  • Wind sensor data. The controller will shut off the irrigation system during periods of high wind (shut down points are adjustable), then automatically reset the system when conditions are more favorable.
  • Daily weather data received either remotely, or from an on-site weather station, and used to determine watering needs.
  • Detailed statistical reports and charts provided to allow users to track water usage and manage scheduling.
  • Automatic notifications of failure alerts sent by email or text to a technician and/or home owner.
  • Operates without WiFi.
  • Allows customized watering for zones.
  • Works with digital assistants, so you can start or stop your various zones with a voice command.
  • This document provides a comparison of smart controllers, including detailed information about each controller’s capabilities and specifications. There’s also a list of definitions used with smart controllers at the end of the document.

There are two types of smart controllers: weather-based or evapotranspiration (ET) controllers, and soil moisture-based controllers.

Weather-Based ET Controllers

Weather-based ET controllers use weather data derived from evapotranspiration (ET) calculations (the sum of evaporation from the land surface plus transpiration from plants) as a basis for scheduling irrigation. ET is used to determine when and how much irrigation water is needed, and is usually expressed as the depth of water in inches or the volume of water in gallons used by a planted area for a period of a day, week, month or year. The best ET weather data uses temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation for its calculations. There are generally four types of ET controllers:

Historical ET Controllers

These use historical weather and water use data for your area to determine what amount of water is required. Usually it only resets the time monthly. The historic data is not perfect, but for most users it still gives significant water savings. Occasionally, you will have to override the automatic control settings, especially if you have unusually hot weather for the month. On some models you only have to enter your zip code to set up the controller, and it accesses the historic data from its memory. On other models you have to manually key in the historic data from the user’s manual or a website.

Historical ET Controllers With a Sensor

These controllers use historical data to determine watering time, but then adjust the time based on a sensor, either a temperature or solar radiation sensor. This combination is more accurate than just using the historical data alone. If the daily high temperature is higher than the historical data, the controller adds more time. If the temperature that day is lower, the controller reduces the watering time.

Signal-Based Controllers

This type of controller uses water and/or weather data provided by a remote provider. The controller receives data from either a central data provider, or from a local weather station via radio, the Internet, or a mobile device. Usually there’s a subscription charge for the data service, as well as charges for the smartphone, tablet, Internet, or radio link. The data can be very accurate if it comes from a nearby weather station. It can also be very accurate if it comes from a central database of historic data that is managed expertly for current conditions.

On-Site Weather Measurement Controllers

These controllers have their own weather stations you install with it that calculate ET continuously, and adjust the irrigation times according to weather conditions. Such sophisticated controller systems can provide accurate data if the sensors are high quality, positioned according to required standards, and well-maintained to keep them functioning.

Soil Moisture-Based Controllers

This type uses sensors to determine the moisture content of the soil. Moisture sensors are buried at the root zone level of turf, trees, or shrubs, to measure the actual amount of moisture in the soil and transmit this information to the controller. The system compares this reading to the recommended moisture level for the plant, soil type and other variables that were programmed when the controller was first installed.

Soil moisture sensor controllers (SMS) use two types of control strategies: by-pass and on-demand.

Bypass SMS Controllers

These are set like traditional timed controllers, with watering schedules, start times, and duration. However, the system will stop the next scheduled irrigation when it senses there’s enough moisture in the soil. Most of these types of controllers are added to an existing time clock, and many of these only include one soil moisture sensor. In this case the sensor should be buried in the driest irrigation zone, and the run times for the other zones should be adjusted to prevent over-watering. Some controllers, though, have multiple sensors, one for each irrigation zone.

On-Demand SMS Controllers

These controllers aren’t programmed for duration, only for start times and days of the week for watering. They initiate irrigation at a user-set  low soil moisture threshold, and terminate irrigation at a high threshold.

Soil moisture-based controllers can be retrofitted on existing irrigation systems. Many manufacturers also make soil moisture sensors that can retrofit to existing systems and interface with the current controller already on-site.

For advice on what type of controller is best for you, and for repairs and maintenance of your sprinkler system, call South Austin Irrigation at (512) 534-7449 or fill out our service request form.

Austin’s Water Forward Plan

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On November 29, 2018 Austin City Council unanimously approved a one hundred year plan, the Water Forward Integrated Water Resource Plan (Water Forward IWRP) for city water use. Officials from Austin Water, the city’s public water utility, called it “the most important water plan that’s been produced in the United States”. The plan is unique because Austin is the only city in the country with a plan to ensure accessibility to water far into the future without taking water from another community. It’s also the first water supply plan in Texas to incorporate climate change into its future projections.

Water Forward estimates the new strategies could cost $429 million over the next twenty-one years. Other water system initiatives and capital upgrades during that time are estimated at $614 million.

This plan has been in the works since 2014 when, during the recent historic drought (2008-2016), City Council convened the Austin Water Resource Planning Task Force to make recommendations regarding future water planning and to evaluate potential water resource management scenarios for Council’s consideration. The Task Force submitted their report in July 2014, with recommendations on demand management and water supply strategies. Their key recommendation was the development of an integrated water resource plan. In December, 2014, Council created the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force (referred to as the Water Forward Task Force) to support the development of the integrated water resource plan.

Key Recommendations of the plan to conserve water and make buildings and landscapes more water efficient are as follows:

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

The plan recommends using Advanced Metering Infrastructure technology, also known as smart meters, to alert customers to potential leaks, and to help them manage their water consumption in close to real time. This year, Austin Water will begin an $80 million dollar three-year process to change every water meter in the city. When completed, Austin Water customers will have access to their bills, water use information, and emergency alerts on their cell phones.

Utility-Side Water Loss Control

Water Forward recommends that Austin Water expand its utility-side programs to prevent, find, and fix leaks, and to improve response time to active leaks between the water treatment plant and the end user.

Landscape Transformation Ordinance

Austin currently has existing landscape transformation requirements for commercial and multi-family properties. The plan recommends enacting a new ordinance requiring the installation of water efficient landscapes with new single-family residential developments.

Implementation of this strategy could result in turf grass area, irrigated area, and/or irrigation area limitations.

Landscape Transformation Incentive

The current WaterWise Landscape rebate offers $35 for every one hundred square feet ($0.35/square foot) converted, with a maximum rebate of $1,750 per property. So far, the program has a low participation rate.

The strategy recommends exploring the increase of WaterWise Landscape rebates for single-family and multi-family residential properties, as well as introducing a new WaterWise landscape rebate for commercial property beyond the City of Austin Land Development Code requirements.

Irrigation Efficiency Incentive

Outdoor water use comprises over twenty two percent of the water currently consumed by Austin Water customers, with most of that water used for landscape watering. Over 89,000 homes and over 5,000 businesses have irrigation and sprinkler systems, which often are programmed to turn on at certain times of the day without regard to weather or plant water needs. This plan strategy focuses on expanding existing Austin Water rebate programs to include rebates for irrigation system smart controllers, and other system improvements. Improved controllers decrease water consumption by responding to leaks, high pressure, soil moisture, and by making flow data accessible.

Alternative Water Ordinances and Incentives

Water Forward recommendations include strategies to help Austin make use of alternative water sources to meet non-drinking water demands (e.g. toilet flushing, and irrigation). Alternative waters include treated rainwater, stormwater, graywater (water from laundry, showers or sinks), air conditioning condensate, and highly treated wastewater effluent. The plan recommends both incentives and ordinances to get compliance for the use of these alternative waters at various scales, described below:

Decentralized lot scale reuse — including onsite generation, treatment, and reuse of alternative waters to include rainwater, stormwater, graywater, air conditioning condensate, and highly treated wastewater effluent.

Decentralized community scale reuse — including collection of alternative waters to include stormwater and wastewater effluent from a cluster of homes or businesses, treatment at locally sited stormwater facilities, distributed wastewater treatment plants or sewer mining facilities, and reuse via a reclaimed water distribution system that would be separate from the centralized reclaimed water system.

Centralized reclaimed water system — including collection of wastewater effluent, treatment at a major wastewater treatment plant, and reuse through connection to the City’s centralized reclaimed water distribution system.

All alternative waters recommended in Water Forward are intended to meet non-drinking water demands, and are recommended to be backed up by the City’s drinking water distribution system.

Aqua Storage and Recovery

Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is a strategy in which water (potable drinking water) can be stored in an aquifer during wetter periods, and recovered for use during drier periods, such as drought. Storing water underground avoids water loss due to evaporation that occurs in surface water storage.

The Water Forward plan includes a recommendation, to be in place by 2040, to pipe treated drinking water from the City of Austin’s water distribution system to an aquifer storage and recovery well field for injection and storage in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. During drier periods stored water would be recovered and piped back into the City’s water distribution system.

Direct Non-Potable Reuse (Centralized Reclaimed or Purple Pipe System)

Austin Water provides highly treated wastewater (through a purple pipe reclaimed water system) for nonpotable uses such as irrigation, cooling, manufacturing, and toilet flushing.

The Water Forward plan includes expansion of the existing reclaimed water system and reclaimed water use by 2040 to provide more than three times the amount currently used for meeting nonpotable demands.

Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) Through Lady Bird Lake

Indirect potable reuse is the use of an environmental buffer, such as a river, to discharge highly treated, reclaimed water, before it’s treated at a drinking water plant.

As part of Water Forward’s recommendations, indirect potable reuse would be utilized as a deep drought strategy. If the combined storage of lakes Travis and Buchanan reach levels less than twenty percent, highly treated reclaimed water would be conveyed from the South Austin Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant to Lady Bird Lake. The water would be pumped from Lady Bird Lake to be treated to drinking water standards at Ullrich Water Treatment Plant.

Elements of the infrastructure used in indirect potable reuse will serve multiple functions. Apart from being used for indirect potable reuse during deep drought, most of the infrastructure will be used for other purposes on a more regular basis. Some elements would be used to capture available water flowing into Lady Bird Lake from creeks and springs. This water would also be conveyed to Ullrich Water Treatment Plant. Other elements would be used to provide reclaimed water as part of the purple pipe reclaimed water system.

New Off-Channel Reservoir With Lake Evaporation Suppression

This Water Forward recommendation would involve the construction of a new 25,000 acre-foot off-channel reservoir in the Austin area within the next fifty years. An off-channel reservoir is a water storage body constructed near a river. Water can be pumped from the river into the reservoir during wetter periods of rainfall, and used as drinking water during drier periods, such as drought.

A lake evaporation suppressant, such as a thin layer of food-safe material, would be applied in the summer to reduce water loss due to evaporation.

Brackish Groundwater Desalination

Brackish groundwater desalination is recommended in Water Forward for the 2070 planning horizon as a possible potable water supply diversification strategy.

You can access a summary of the Water Forward Plan here.

Water conservation continues to be as important as ever.  To ensure that your sprinkler system is operating a peak efficiency, call South Austin Irrigation at (512) 534-7449 for all your repair, maintenance, and upgrade needs.

Tune-up Tips for your Sprinkler System

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sprinkler repair tips
Playing in sprinklers is fun. Having sprinklers that aren’t working is not. Find out how to make quick fixes, but call us for professional assistance.

Water conservation—and in some areas, water restriction—is a fact of life for all Texans. So it’s probably a good time to check your sprinkler system to make sure that it’s working in as energy and water efficient a way as possible.

The first thing you should do is turn on each valve in your irrigation system one at a time. As you do so, look for telltale wet spots that could indicate the presence of a leaking irrigation pipe. If you find any leaks at all, get them repaired immediately.

Next, check your irrigation controller battery which is typically of the 9-volt alkaline variety. If it’s not fully charged or if it’s more than two years old, replace it. The battery is typically located behind the front panel of the controller: you may find that you will need to remove some screws or open the panel to reach it.

Inspect all sprinkler heads and straighten any that are leaning to the side. They need to be at a 90° angle to the ground to work properly: the same holds true for sprinkler heads positioned on a slope.  If they lean to one side or the other, they may create dry spots and worst of all, waste precious water.

Broken or malfunctioning sprinklers should be replaced. Make sure that you buy the same brand and model of sprinkler as the ones that are on the same valve circuit. You may find that some sprinklers are already mismatched, so you need to replace those as well.

While it’s true that many sprinkler models are now compatible with other models, mixing sprinklers on the same valve circuit can result in needless water loss. However, it is possible to use different sprinkler models if they are on different valve circuits.

Whether you need help with irrigation system advice or repair, South Austin Irrigation can make the job of landscape maintenance easier and more efficient. Call today for service. You’ll be glad you did!

Call (512) 534 7449 for fast service, call or fill out the form on this page.

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  • Austin, TX
  • Lakeway, TX
  • Spicewood, TX
  • Horseshoe Bay, TX
  • Dripping Springs, TX
  • Wimberly, TX

Give us a call for sprinkler repair and service in your area: (512) 534-7449

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  • Nelson Turf
  • KRain
  • HydroRain
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