In light of the economic impacts of COVID-19, several of our clients took advantage last year of a feature within our Systems that allows for “factoring-down” of the water settings – i.e. erring on increased water savings.
We follow recommended horticultural practices in further reducing water usage – maintaining deep root watering, but extending the time between irrigation events by allowing the moisture level in the soil to dry out slightly beyond our normal allowable levels (i.e. closer to the wilt point). This will not impact the overall health of the landscape, but will likely have a slight impact on the look of the landscape, especially during extended hot, dry periods.
The level of increased water savings from “factoring-down” will be dependent on the overall climatic conditions for the season, however typically “factoring-down” will generate an additional 15 – 20% in water savings.
We however do not recommend “factoring-down” if you want the landscape to look green and healthy at all times during the season (no matter the weather), if you have a newly established landscape, or if there are poor soil conditions in your landscape.