Too Early to Turn on Sprinklers

Every year, I see some people racing to fire up their sprinkler systems as soon as the calendar says it’s spring. In my opinion this is way too early. There are several reasons why sprinkler systems don't need to be be cranked up for several more weeks. Unless we're in severe drought, which is unlikely, May 1 or even later is a good target date.

First, the possibility for hard freezes still exists in late March and April. If you turn your system on and we get a hard freeze there is a good chance you will have burst pipes and possibly a ruined vacuum breaker. Needless to say, these can be expensive repairs. As one can see from this chart, single digit and teen lows are not unheard of in April :

www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/include/showProduct.php?product=aprn.txt&parentdir=cli

Second, April and May tend to be wet months. I think most people know this but in a dry winter it can be forgotten. During prolonged dry spells you can drag out a hose and portable sprinkler and water your lawn if you think it will help. Otherwise, why not rely on free rain and snow from Mother Nature? Lawns don't need nearly as much water in April as they do in June and July. I think most people know this too but still don't bother to adjust their timers to reflect it. The result? Wasted water galore...

Speaking of wasting water, we live in a semi-desert. We shouldn't be wasting water on lawns in July, let alone April.

Most people have Kentucky Bluegrass lawns. Believe it or not KBG is actually quite drought tolerant. It even has a built in defense mechanism. If the lawn is generally healthy and doesn't get enough water, it will turn straw colored and go dormant. But that doesn't mean it's dead. Just another example of the amazing wisdom of Mother Nature.

So relax and hold off on those sprinkler start-ups. But if it is really dry, do make sure that you are getting some supplemental water to your trees and shrubs, especially the younger ones and the evergreens.