Spring time in the valley leaves a lot of folks confused. Sometimes it goes so fast it seems we’ve jumped right from winter to summer and people miss it completely. But this year you can be prepared if you follow a few simple steps.
The number one mistake people make in the spring is waiting too long to plant new shrubs and trees. If you have plants that died last summer or this winter and you want to plant new things, March is the time to do it. Don’t wait any longer.
All plants and trees go through a bit of “planting shock” when they are first put in the ground. They need time to recover from the shock and time for their roots to get established before the intense summer heat puts a lot of stress on them. Now is the perfect time to get them in the ground. By planting now, you are giving your plants and trees a head start. With the right care, these plantings will be healthy and growing like crazy by the time May is here.
All home owners should check their irrigation for proper operation BEFORE they plant new things. Don’t wait until your new citrus tree is in the ground before you realize it’s not getting any water. We recommend removing dead plants and trees, cleaning up dead foliage and leaves, then performing a thorough checkup of your irrigation system.
It’s the perfect time to repair what isn’t working, cap off drip emitters you won’t be using, and add drip emitters to new areas of the yard for new plantings. Once you know everything is in good working order you are free to plant new things that will thrive all summer long.
Lastly, home owners should choose carefully the types of things they want to plant to make sure they are a good fit for their irrigation system.
For example, you may want to plant a lovely flower bed. Flowers are “high water” plants and in the summer heat they need to be watered (on average) twice a day, every day. But unless the flower bed has its own zone (station) for watering, it will only be watered when everything else is watered and that will not be enough for flowers to survive – you would have to supplement with hand watering. But if you simply increase the watering for everything else to compensate for the needs of the flowers, you are likely to drown out the rest of your landscaping.
We recommend consulting with a professional irrigation technician to find out what is best to plant, how to manage your watering zones, and to create a new watering zone if it’s needed.
To get your irrigation system into tip-top shape, get an estimate on creating additional watering zones, make repairs or get advice about your landscaping, give the expert irrigation techs at D&L Sprinkler Service a call at 602-329-3396. They are here to serve you Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm.
We hope this tutorial was helpful!
To get your irrigation system into tip-top shape, make repairs or get advice about your landscaping, give the expert irrigation techs at D&L Sprinkler Service a call at 602-329-3396.
Dennis Lee is the owner/operator of D & L Sprinkler Service here in Phoenix which services customers Valley-wide. His friendly staff is available Monday through Saturday!
