Irrigation to off

This morning I stepped out my door and immediately turned back inside to grab a jacket. It seems like Fall is here, and we’ll be turning the clocks back in just a few weeks. My favorite clue is the California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum). The flowers that have covered the shrub in white all summer have turned a rich rusty or chocolaty brown.

Your lawn grasses are starting to respond to the cooling weather, growth has slowed way down. The green leaves will start to change to gold as the grass goes dormant for the winter. The lawn doesn’t need nearly as much water as it did a month ago.

You can stop irrigating now. But be nice to your grass, you want it to go dormant, not go into shock. Rather than making the lawn go cold turkey, taper the water off gradually. Slow down the irrigation by turning off one day of the week on the timer. In a week or two, turn off another day, and so on.

Do this right now, while you’re thinking about it! Yes, put the newspaper down and head out to the timer right now.

Good job!

And good job to all of you who are still saving water because the drought is still here. A tip of the hat to all of you who still have a bucket in the shower and a tub in the kitchen sink. A pat on the back to everyone cramming their dishwasher full before they run it. A wink and a smile to those emptying the dog water bowl into the houseplant instead of into the sink. A medal to each brave individual who has put themselves at risk of carpal tunnel syndrome from turning the faucet on just a trickle instead of a blast. And a big congratulations to those savvy conservers who don’t have to turn their irrigation off because it is already off.

My most heartfelt gratitude goes to those homeowners who removed their lawn and replaced it with low water use landscaping (and to the Department of Water Resources for providing a rebate to help you!). This is a truly sustainable change.

Together we make a difference!