TITUSVILLE, FL - (March 04, 2021) – Spring has sprung and the dog days of summer are nipping at our heels. When you set your clocks forward one hour for Daylight Saving Time, set your irrigation controllers to the Spring/Summer schedule.
Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 14 and starts the spring/summer irrigation schedule. During Daylight Saving Time, March 14 through November 7, the irrigation restrictions change to allow outside irrigation no more than twice a week. Homes with even-numbered addresses may irrigate on Thursdays and Sundays. Homes with odd-numbered addresses may irrigate on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Businesses may irrigate on Tuesdays and Fridays. The irrigation restrictions apply to reclaimed water, well water, and city water use.
Florida’s rainy season starts in April. Check to see how to manually over-ride your controller settings so that during thunderstorms and heavy rain you can turn off your irrigation system. All automatic irrigation should be equipped with a rain sensor so that sprinklers cannot operate during rain events. “Just because you can irrigate twice a week, doesn’t mean you have to irrigate twice a week,” explained Maureen Phillips, Water Resources’ Water Conservation & Public Outreach Manager. “The change in schedule simply recognizes that during this time of year plants are exposed to more sunlight and are in a growth cycle, so they may need more water. If you use native plants and follow the rule of planting the right plant in the right place, you may not need any supplemental irrigation—normal rainfall should provide enough water for your plants’ needs.”
To choose the right plant for the right place, just look at the conditions present in your yard. Does that area of the yard get sun all day long? Is it shaded by a neighboring tree? Does the area remain wet for a long period after a rain? All of these are factors that influence what you should plant and how much irrigation that plant needs.