What does a seasonal tune-up check?

Each station is run and watched for broken or tilted heads, clogged nozzles, loose or clogged emitters, dirty filters, leaks and spray on paving. The controller's clock, programs and runtimes are reviewed, then reset for the coming season and checked against soil moisture at the plants.

Should I water less in winter?

In the low desert, yes for most plants. Cooler weather means less evaporation and slower growth, so the days between waterings stretch out, often many times longer than in summer for desert-adapted shrubs and trees. Deep, infrequent watering still applies; shorten frequency, not depth.

Seasonal Irrigation Tune-Up

Walk every station, fix small faults and reset the controller for the season Surprise is heading into.

Request an estimate(623) 292-2515

Four seasons, four programs

The City of Surprise Landscape Watering Guidelines split the year into March to May, May to October, October to December and December to March, and the swing between them is large. Warm-season grass runs every 3 to 6 days in summer and every 15 to 30 days in winter. Desert-adapted trees go from 7 to 21 days in summer to 30 to 60 days in winter. AMWUA, the regional water users association, recommends adjusting schedules at least four times a year. A tune-up is how that actually happens.

Each season leaves its own damage in Surprise. The monsoon, June 15 to September 30 by the National Weather Service Phoenix office's count, brings downbursts that knock heads off line and runoff that moves drip tubing. Winter brings cold nights; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension notes that first frost dates vary widely across Maricopa County with elevation and pavement, so outlying yards should not assume central Phoenix timing.

What the visit covers

Every station is run and walked. The checklist is the one the city code reads like: damaged heads, bubblers and drip lines, laterals and pipes, and an automatic timer that has not been kept up are all listed causes of water waste. Clogged nozzles, loose emitters, packed filter screens and soil-filled valve boxes are fixed while the system is open.

Then the program is rebuilt for the coming season, station by station, with turf, shrubs, trees and cacti treated separately. A probe after a cycle checks the city's depth targets, about 24 to 36 inches for trees and 6 to 10 for grass. The same city page suggests that once or twice a year a watering about twice as long helps leach salts, and a tune-up is a good time to plan it. Related pages: irrigation controller repair and drip irrigation.

Source: City of Surprise, Landscape Watering Guidelines, Checked Oct 1, 2026