Check your sprinklers and settings

Ihave a big project for you this weekend. I have seen many landscapes watering everyday and some have broken or misadjusted sprinkler heads. I would like everybody this weekend to find time to turn on their sprinklers and check the heads. Check to make sure they are not broken, they are facing the right direction and they are not leaking. Many people run their sprinklers at night and never see the problems.

After you have checked the sprinklers, reprogram your timer. Did you reset the time on your sprinkler timer after the time changed? Next, reprogram your time to water about once a week. Next, reprogram your timer to come on about 10 a.m., and make sure to double-check with your water district if that time is allowed. We have already had some freezing temperatures. You do not want to form ice on your lawn or sidewalks.

If you do not want to reprogram your timer, turn your timer off. Some timers have a switch or a dial that turns your timer off. The timer will continue to keep the time; it just will not turn on your sprinklers. When your lawn needs water, just turn the timer back on and manually start your sprinklers through the timer. This is what I do with my timer and home.

During the winter, depending on the temperature, your sprinklers may need to run from every three days to once every two weeks. I do not like to reprogram every few days and with the rains this year, you can delay watering your lawn by at least 10 days after each half-inch of rain we receive.

Your landscape plant may also need water. With little to no rain, our landscape plants need some water. Including roses and fruit trees, they may have lost their leaves and be dormant, but the roots are still alive. They need some water to keep the roots moist and ready for next spring. If we receive about a half an inch of rainfall a month, they will be OK for the month. If there is no rainfall, some water will be needed.

You should not prune your plants, except to remove dead, damaged or diseased branches. Excess pruning in late fall may cause your plants to start growing again. Fruit trees and roses should be pruned in late January or early February. A common mistake is to cut back your herbaceous plants like daylilies after the leaves have turned yellow during the winter. The dead leaves protect the roots from freezing.

It is never too early to be talking about vegetable gardens, but if you want to start your own plants from seeds, it is time to start seeds. Starting seeds now will give you bigger plants in the spring.

You should be receiving seed catalogs in the mail that have a large variety of seeds to choose your favorite varieties. This time of year, the nurseries and garden centers usually have leftover seeds from last season.

The selection is reduced, but if you want the common tomatoes and peppers they probably have enough of a variety to choose your favorites. Start broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprout now and plant out in about a month for a spring garden or start tomatoes and peppers to have large transplants for your garden in April.

Keep in mind the seeds need to be started indoors and kept indoors until it is the appropriate time to plant vegetables outside.