Chandler Watering Information
The costs of water, maintenance, plant loss and replacement, and decreased property values are all financial impacts on homeowners. Over-watering encourages excessive growth, diseases and other maintenance problems. Deep, infrequent watering encourages strong healthy root systems that can better tolerate intense heat and periods of drought.
Effective irrigation system design, installation and maintenance are important. Sprinklers should serve only the required turf areas and not spray on buildings, fences, or non-landscaped areas. Excess water on sidewalks, pavement and block walls causes damage, increases liability and wastes water. Watering should be done before sunrise to reduce evaporation losses. Turf areas, planters, trees, and shrubs should be watered separately to meet varying water needs. Always irrigate the entire depth and width of the root zone regardless of the time of year. Automatic timers and moisture sensors make it easier to manage irrigations. Once or twice a year, water twice as long to leach out salts that build up in our soils.
| How Much & How Often | Seasonal Frequency — Days Between Waterings | Water This Deeply |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Mar – May |
Summer May – Oct. |
Fall Oct. – Dec. |
Winter Dec. – Mar. |
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| Trees | Desert Adapted | 14 – 30 days | 14 – 30 days | 14 – 30 days | 30 – 45 days | 24 – 36 inches |
| High Water Use | 7 – 12 days | 7 – 10 days | 7 – 12 days | 14 – 30 days | 24 – 36 inches | |
| Shrubs | Desert Adapted | 14 – 30 days | 7 – 14 days | 10 – 21 days | 30 – 45 days | 18 – 24 inches |
| High Water Use | 7 – 10 days | 5 – 7 days | 7 – 10 days | 10 – 14 days | 18 – 24 inches | |
| Groundcovers & Vines | High Water Use | 14 days | 2 – 5 days | 7 – 10 days | 10 – 14 days | 12 – 18 inches |
| Cacti & Succulents | 21 – 45 days | 14 – 30 days | 21 – 45 days | if needed | 8 – 12 inches | |
| Annuals | 3 – 7 days | 3 – 7 days | 3 – 7 days | 3 – 7 days | 8 – 12 inches | |
| Warm Season Grass (Bermuda, etc.) | 3 – 7 days | 2 – 5 days | 3 – 7 days | 3 – 7 days | 8 – 12 inches | |
| Cool Season Grass (Rye, Fescue) | 3 – 7 days | None | 3 – 10 days | 7 – 14 days | 6 – 10 inches | |
Note: These guidelines are for established plants (1 year for shrubs, 3 years for trees). Additional water is needed for new plantings or unusually hot or dry weather. Less water is needed during cool or rainy weather.
Drip run times are typically 2 hours or more for each watering.
The guidelines in the above table were developed by the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association with technical assistance by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
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