March Sprinkler System Tips

Spring is right around the corner, we can feel it!  We have been waiting patiently all winter, and finally the both the daytime and nighttime temperatures are slowly and steadily starting to creep up.

Turning Your Sprinkler System Back On

During the winter months, many people in our service area (including ourselves), turned our sprinkler systems off because most vegetation went into a dormant stage.  March is the time for most people to start cleaning up their yards and getting their flower beds ready for spring planting.  The weather is undoubtedly going to be gorgeous!

Our main recommendation – please, please, please turn on your sprinkler system prior to planting your new vegetation and have your system repaired before the plants go in the ground.  Often we encounter customers who have spent their hard-earned money and their precious weekend hours beautifying their yard with flowers, plants and new grass, only to find out that their sprinkler system does not work.

Because we had several bouts of freezing temperatures during these winter months, it is quite possible that sprinkler systems will not perform properly when turned back on.  There could be broken pipes, malfunctioning valves, busted sprinkler heads…you never know until you turn it on.  When we turn our system on at our house, we had a broken pipe that likely cracked during one of the long freezes.

By turning on your sprinkler system prior to planting new vegetation, you can avoid a situation where you will need to water everything by hand, or worse yet, your new plantings suffer from the drought.  Also, you can avoid a situation where new plantings need to be dug up to repair sprinkler equipment either below or adjacent to the plants.  This can be distressing to the vegetation as well as to the homeowner.

March Watering Restrictions

At the direction of the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), many cities in our service area have implemented Seasonal Stage 3 watering restrictions (effective through March 31, 2014), consisting of watering landscaping once every two weeks.  Please check your city’s website to determine your specific watering details and schedule.

Please keep in mind that come April 1, 2014, watering will not be permitted between the hours of 10:00am and 6:00pm.  Other restrictions will likely take affect at that time too.  Stay tuned for updates.

Watering restrictions are in place to help ensure that there is enough water for all of our daily activities (drinking, showering, laundry, etc.) and to make sure that it lasts throughout the year.  Thankfully at this time of year, most of our vegetation is not growing and does not require nearly as much water as during the warmer months.