Mark your calendar! October 26th is when Daylight Savings Time comes to an end and clocks fall back one hour. Although fall arrives in Southern California inconspicuously, some subtle clues that reveal the new season are shorter days, cooler temperatures, and changes in leaf colors.

During this transition from summer to fall, it is important to also review and change your water usage so that you can maintain a responsible approach towards saving this natural resource. Dan Carney, Landscape Architect for the City of San Diego Water Department has 10 tips on how to save water and when:

1. Adjust the watering schedule on your irrigation controller. With the shorter days and less sunlight, plants need less water, even if the weather is still warm. An average lawn needs 25 percent less water in the fall than during the summer months.
2. Replace old batteries in your sprinkler/irrigation system with new ones to ensure that the system will operate properly and according to schedule.
3. Water between the hours of 4 p.m. and 9 a.m., preferably on less windy days. These darker and cooler hours of the day during the fall are when less evaporation occurs.
4. Trouble shoot sprinklers that waste water. For example, check water pressure and filters regularly to keep your drip irrigation system in good working order.
5. Prevent watering on rainy days by installing a moisture sensor to an automatic sprinkler system, or turn the system off when it rains.
6. Retain moisture in the soil by using mulch. Mulching also helps to control weeds that compete with plants for water.
7. Incorporate native and drought-tolerant plants and grasses into your landscapes and gardens to take advantage of less water-dependent vegetation. Fall is an ideal time for planting. To get ideas for what to plant, visit the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College or view their website at www.thegarden.org.
8. Reposition rain gutters so that runoff from them is directed towards the plants in your landscaped areas.
9. Cover your pool and spa to reduce water loss due to normal evaporation. There is a natural decrease in pool and spa use as the weather gets cooler. This will also help to keep it clean.
10. Remember that during the fall, plants need less water. Many plants are in their dormant phase and either change color or shed their leaves to prepare for the coming cold weather. These plants don’t require as much water as they do during the dry, hot season.

Use the City of San Diego Water Department’s landscape watering calculator to ensure that you are using the correct amount of water. This resource tool is designed to produce a custom weekly schedule that defines the right amount of water your garden may need according to season and plant type. To create a customized irrigation schedule visit www.sandiego.gov/water/conservation.