The guide

Watering needs swing hard with our seasons, and an unprepared irrigation system can freeze and burst over winter - a little fall prep saves a spring repair.

• Water deeply and infrequently, and shift the schedule by season and weather - cut back sharply in fall and through winter dormancy.
• Before the first hard freeze, shut off and drain the system: drain or blow out drip lines and sprinklers and insulate exposed valves and backflow devices.
• Disconnect and store hoses and protect hose bibs with insulated covers.
• Even dormant plants and evergreens need an occasional deep winter watering on warm, dry spells - water at midday so it soaks in before night.
• Re-check emitters, heads, and the controller in spring before you turn everything back on.