How long and how often should I run drip irrigation for new plants?
Resetting a controller wipes out original watering schedules, leaving homeowners to guess at the correct duration and frequency for new plants. Without a reliable baseline, it is easy to overwater while trying to figure out the right balance through trial and error over the first week.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How long and how often should I run drip irrigation for new plants?
- 1Checking the current irrigation controller program before resettingDid this help you?
- 2Timing the current irrigation manuallyDid this help you?
- 3Relying on natural rainfall and watering only during lengthy droughtsDid this help you?
- 4Using general estimates like 3 to 5 minute soaks per week for succulentsDid this help you?
- 5Guessing the watering schedule for the first few days and adjusting based on feel and temperature.Did this help you?
- 6watering 3 times daily during hot daysDid this help you?
- 7trying to lift a corner to check if it's rooted inDid this help you?
- 8feeling the soil for moisture to adjustDid this help you?
- 9Moving the plant outside into direct sunlightDid this help you?
- 10Cutting the plant aggressivelyDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Hello I’m located in Sacramento California zone 9b, I been watering my sod 3 times daily because we been getting hot days (85-95) we have one more week of 90-95, should I decrease the water now by 2 times a day instead of 3?”source ↗
“How does my watering schedule look? I hope I’m not over watering the first few days were guess work and today I feel like I have it dialed in a week later as of today.”source ↗
“I was thinking on mowing it today but we have another week on the 95 should I still mow?”source ↗
“I'm starting to wonder that it might not have enough sunlight. Is that the case? Is it fine? What about watering?”source ↗
“I have no idea how much water these plants need.”source ↗
“I had to reset the controller as I was having issues with another zone, so I don't have the original program for the drip irrigation zone.”source ↗
“That being said, do you have a recommendation on a program?”source ↗
“Any recommended duration and frequency?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 10When should I stop watering my lawn for winter?
- 7Why is my newly transplanted tree dying after moving from a pot?