Don't 'Set and Forget': Why You Should Adjust Your Sprinkler Watering Times

Your beautiful lawn and garden thrive best when they get the right amount of water at the right time. But here in WA, our weather changes dramatically, and your garden's water needs change with it. If you set your reticulation system once and forget about it, you are likely wasting water, hiking up your bills, and even hurting your plants!

To be a truly "Waterwise" homeowner, you need to adjust your watering times throughout the year. It's a simple, proactive step that keeps your garden healthy and saves a precious resource.

The Cost of Constant Settings

Think about how hot the middle of summer is compared to a cool day in May.

• Hot Weather: When it's hot, water evaporates quickly from the soil and plants. Your garden needs maximum water to survive the heat.

• Cool Weather: When it's cool, less water evaporates. If you water the same amount as summer, the soil stays soggy.

  
  

Over-watering your garden—which happens when you don't adjust your settings—causes major problems:

• Sick Plants: Too much water drowns the roots and encourages diseases like root rot.

• Wasted Money: Every drop of excess water is money literally pouring down the drain, often leading to huge water bills.

• Lost Nutrients: Extra water washes away the good nutrients your plants need to stay strong.

  
  

Adjusting your system to match the season is the key to a healthier, cheaper, and greener garden.

Step 1: Find Your Maximum Watering Times

Before you adjust anything, you need to know how long to run your sprinklers for maximum summer health. Experts agree that a standard drink for your lawn and garden is about 10mm of water on your watering day.

Because every sprinkler type is different, their running times vary a lot. Use these times as your starting point (your 100% maximum setting):

Sprinkler Type	Recommended Run Time (to achieve approx 10mm)
Dripline Sprinklers (for garden beds)	30 - 40 minutes
Pop-up & Fixed Spray Sprinklers (for lawn/small areas)	13 - 16 minutes
Rotary Sprinklers (slow-moving lawn heads)	40 - 60 minutes
Micro Spray Sprinklers (small, fine spray)	13 - 16 minutes
Gear Drive Rotary Sprinklers (medium-moving lawn heads)	30 - 40 minutes

Important Rules for Water Savings

• Turn it OFF for Rain: If rain is forecast, switch your sprinklers off and let nature take over.

• Winter Switch-off is LAW: Remember the Winter Sprinkler Switch-off is in place from 1 June until 31 August every year for scheme and bore water users in Perth, Mandurah, and the South West. Your system must be off during these three months.

Step 2: Use the Simple 'Seasonal Adjustment'

The easiest way to change your watering times is to use the 'Seasonal Adjustment' (or 'Water Budget') feature on your irrigation controller.

This clever setting lets you change the running time for all your zones at once by setting a percentage. For example, if you set your pop-up sprinklers to run for 15 minutes (100%), changing the seasonal adjustment to 60% automatically reduces that time to 9 minutes.

Here is a general guide for how to adjust your system throughout the year:

Time of Year	Seasonal Adjustment Setting	Why?
January - February	100%	Hottest time, maximum water needed to fight evaporation.
March / November / December	80% - 90%	Shoulder seasons, temperatures easing but still warm.
April / May / September / October	50% - 60%	Mild weather, much lower evaporation, save water!
June - August	Switch Off	Mandated Winter Sprinkler Switch-off—let the rain do the work.

Need Help? Call Retic Smart

While you can manage the seasonal adjustment yourself, Retic Smart can ensure your system is running perfectly and efficiently, saving you the maximum amount of money.

Retic Smart can help you go beyond just adjusting a percentage. We can install a weather-based irrigation controller. These controllers check the weather forecast for your area and automatically adjust your watering times every single day—taking all the guesswork out of it for you!

Don't let your reticulation system run wild! By adjusting your watering times, you protect your garden, save water, and reduce your household bills.

Contact Retic Smart today for a system check, seasonal tune-up or to upgrade to a weather-based smart controller. We’ll get your garden on the perfect schedule.

Contact Retic Smart