As you contemplate the tasks needed to keep your lawn in the best shape this season, include a fall sprinkler system check to assess the current condition and make sure that it is in proper working order before you turn it off for winter.
Check for Broken Sprinkler Heads
It is natural that some of your sprinkler heads may be broken by the end of the growing season. Sometimes a lawn mower can catch on them. People walking across a lawn can accidentally kick them and sometimes even deliberately break them. Use your fall sprinkler system check to replace any that are damaged and make sure it is in the best shape before you shut it down for the season.
Adjust Sprinkler Head Directions
Sometimes sprinkler heads can be turned around by lawn mowers and kids, among other things. You may find that you are watering the sidewalk instead of your grass. This, of course, just serves to waste water, create slip hazards and take away the moisture that your grass needs.
Take a day and note exactly where the sprinklers are hitting while they are on. Depending on your sprinklers, a little may still fall outside of our lawn, but it should not be widespread. You can use these observations to make any adjustments needed to get your system back on track.
Evaluate Your Watering Times
Your grass will not need the same amount of watering throughout every season. Summer is naturally when you will need the most water since the weather is hotter and drier than other times in the year. In spring and fall, rain is more likely to fall and lessen the need for any additional water from sprinklers. Adjust your settings accordingly to water less frequently, ultimately turning them off at the end of the season.
What do you do as part of your fall sprinkler system check?
Image by where to here under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
