When cooler temperatures set in, your landscape will start recovering from the  summer’s long days and hot temperatures. One important adjustment to make  this month is to begin shortening your sprinkler run times. Your lawn and  plants will soon begin needing much less water, and you’ll be lowering what it  costs to irrigate your landscape at the same time.

How do you know if you’re watering enough? Step on your lawn; if the grass  springs back, it doesn’t need water. Applying less water means you will need  to mow less, and who doesn’t want to mow less? Fall is also a good time to  check your system for leaks before shutting it down for the winter. Examine  the points where sprinkler heads connect to pipes or hoses. If you see water  pooling, or if you have large wet areas, you could have a leak in your system.  A leak as small as the tip of a pen (1/32 of an inch) can waste about 6,000  gallons of water per month, according to EPA’s WaterSense