Watering lawns and landscape plants can account for up to 50 percent of an average homeowner’s total water use. Watering a typical 5,000 square-foot yard with an in-ground sprinkler system could cost from $4 to $10 per application. That’s $17 to $43 per month or $200 to $500 per year! Can you think of anything better to do with $500?

Many homeowners trust their sprinkler system to make the best decisions after being programmed by the installer. Are you fully aware of how your system is calibrated? Are you in control or is the little micro-chip inside the machine calling the shots?

You may have paid good money for a sprinkler system, or you may have inherited one from a former owner. It is up to you to make sure it is paying its rent by not wasting your hard-earned money. A simple check-up can reveal whether your system is operating efficiently.

Most irrigation systems run in the early morning hours, often without being watched. Have you inspected your system lately? Would you know what to do if you found a problem? Have you determined whether your lawn or landscape plants actually need the amount of water you are applying?

You can program your own system, and in fact you must. Watering restrictions (see http://www.pinellascounty.org/UTILITIES/water-restrict.htm) require us all to do our part to minimize the waste of a precious resource.

This handy fact-sheet can help you regain control of the robot in your yard:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/TOPIC_Lawn_Watering

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