How many times a year should irrigation be adjusted?

AMWUA's regional guidance is at least four times a year, as the seasons change, and some cities recommend monthly changes. A professional tune-up at the start of summer and again after the monsoon covers the biggest swings, with smaller adjustments in between based on plant condition and soil moisture.

Should I water a dormant Bermuda lawn in winter?

Far less than in summer. A Bermuda lawn that is not overseeded goes dormant, so its zones can be cut back sharply until spring. The City of Peoria estimates that skipping winter ryegrass overseeding saves 8,000 gallons for every 1,000 square feet of grass. Use the footprint test before watering.

Seasonal Irrigation Tune-Up

Walk every zone, fix the small faults and reset the controller for the Peoria season ahead.

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A visit timed to the Peoria calendar

Regional guidance from the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association calls for schedule changes at least four times a year, and the City of Peoria's water-saving actions go further and suggest adjusting monthly and checking the sprinkler system monthly. A seasonal tune-up is the hands-on version: one visit that fixes the small faults and leaves a program the owner can step up and down without guessing.

The visit runs every station and watches it from first head to last. Heads that do not rise, nozzles knocked out of line, dead emitters, valves that weep after shutoff and wet ground with nothing running are noted and, where the fix is small, corrected on the spot. Drip filters are opened and flushed, sensors are tested, and the controller's date, time and backup battery are checked, because a clock that lost power after a summer storm waters on the wrong days without anyone noticing.

Three Peoria turning points

Late spring is the climb into summer, when run times rise and start times move into the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. window the city asks for. The end of the monsoon, which the National Weather Service closes on September 30, is the second: storm damage gets fixed and the schedule comes down. Winter is the third, and it hinges on a lawn decision. Peoria estimates that skipping ryegrass overseeding saves 8,000 gallons for every 1,000 square feet of grass, and a dormant Bermuda lawn needs far less water than a green winter lawn.

Winter also brings frost. University of Arizona Extension puts the average first frost in Maricopa County between November 21 and December 12, depending on location, and advises keeping soil moisture even so plants do not go into a cold night drought-stressed. A tune-up ends with a written list of what was found, what was fixed and what still needs work. Larger findings move to sprinkler repair, drip irrigation or an irrigation efficiency audit.

Source: City of Peoria, Water Saving Actions, Checked Oct 1, 2026