Agricultural scientists have developed equations for evapotranspiration rates, which factor in air temperatures, soil types and evaporation to calculate the amount of water needed. These often are too complicated for the home landscape, which means that gardeners should develop the habit of observing growth changes and water accordingly. It's also important to understand that as plants grow, their water needs change. This holds true even for most arid-adapted plants. A convenient and time-saving method of watering a landscape is with an automatic irrigation system, eliminating the need to drag around garden hoses.
Most gardeners find that the convenience alone is worth the installation cost.
But get in the habit of observing the system frequently while it is on. This will catch existing or potential problems. The information you receive on-line from Mercury Center is protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting, or repurposing of any copyright-protected material.