Water Conservation: Cycle-and-Soak Beats Blind Runtime Increases
When heat spikes, doubling minutes on clay just makes runoff. Split cycles, keep total water, and use sensors where they actually sit in the root zone.
Water restrictions and summer heat push people to crank seasonal adjust. On clay or slopes, longer single cycles mostly feed the gutter.
Cycle-and-soak splits the same total minutes into shorter repeats with soak gaps so soil can take the water. Pair that with matched-precipitation nozzles (MP Rotator on sprays, consistent rotor nozzles on turf) so every head applies at a similar rate.
- Confirm Rain-Clik or equivalent is wired and not stuck in bypass.
- On Hydrawise, enable Weather Intelligence after the base schedule is sane — do not use weather adjust to paper over bad hydraulics.
- Prioritize trees and high-value shrubs when ordinances cut watering days.
Related reading: our controller buying guide and field notes on the blog.
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