Fall is the time for planting.  The following tips can help you save water and make every drop count:
 
• With its shorter and cooler days, fall is a great time for planting. Many plants, especially water-wise plants, do best if planted and given a chance to establish a more extensive root structure before the winter rains and the heat of the summer. Planting in the spring leaves less time for plants to focus their energies on establishing root systems before the hot and dry summer months arrive.

• Take a class this fall at the Water Conservation Garden. Classes often cover topics such as landscape design, container gardening, firescaping, and water-wise landscaping basics. Space is limited so call the Garden at (619) 660-0614 to reserve your seat.

• The fall is also a great time to change your batteries in your irrigation controller. Many controllers have batteries that should be replaced about once a year. Should a power outage occur, your irrigation schedule will be lost and as a default your controller will water each irrigation station ten minutes a day, every day.
 
• As a general rule, you can decrease your landscape watering by about 10% every three weeks until the winter rains arrive, while monitoring the soil moisture to ensure that the plants are not stressed. As the days get shorter and the temperatures get cooler, landscapes in the Otay Water District need less water. By mid-November, your landscape will typically need about 30% less water compared to the summer months. During a Santa Ana event, keep an eye on the plants in your landscape and monitor them to ensure your plants are not drying out. During this time, you may need to increase the frequency of your watering.
 
• Take advantage of our $4 per head rebate for rotating sprinkler nozzles (15 nozzle minimum), $110 rebate for high efficiency clothes washers and up to $140 rebate for smart irrigation controllers.