One of the most common questions we are asked is “How long should I water?”
While many companies might give you a recommendation of 15 minutes per zone on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – Richmond Irrigation likes to consider more factors when setting up a watering schedule.
The truth is the amount of water that is required varies from month to month – if you setup your controller in the spring and don’t adjust it throughout the year, you are likely overwatering during the spring and fall months and underwatering during the summer months. To properly water a lawn in the Richmond area, you should at minimum adjust the watering schedule on a monthly basis. We understand that most folks with irrigation systems don’t have time to deal with this (we also understand that most controllers are not user friendly) – so we offer an Enhanced Maintenance Agreement that includes monthly visits during the growing season to adjust the watering schedule and review the system for any issues.
Our goal when setting up a watering schedule is to replace the amount of water that is being lost – water is lost through evaporation and transpiration (evapotranspiration). The rate that water is being lost changes dramatically throughout the year – see below table for historical data.
