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Get 'smart' irrigation controller, learn how to use it

Regional Water Authority offers Rachio 3 deal and free workshop

Man with remote controller
Get a smart irrigation controller at a discount and learn how to use it free. (Photo courtesy RWA)





On the hottest day of the year, decide to water smarter.

This current heat wave is a reminder of how dependent our landscapes are on proper irrigation. But how much water does your garden need?

A "smart" controller takes some of the guess work out of watering. It acts like a thermostat for your sprinklers, using local weather conditions to determine when and how long your system should run.
Smart controllers can be expensive, up to $270 for a 16-zone system. And they can seem a little intimidating to set up.

The Regional Water Authority has answers to both: A Rachio 3 Controller offered at a deep discount and an online workshop to learn how to use it.

The controller is available for $75 plus tax to customers of RWA's member water providers. That's about two dozen local agencies.

According to the RWA, a Water Sense-labeled controller such as this Rachio model can save an average home about 13,500 gallons a year.

Now how to make the most of that technology: Take an online class.

RWA's free virtual workshop is set for noon Tuesday, Aug. 25. Advance registration is required.

"The Rachio Controllers have many features that help you maintain a beautiful garden," says the RWA.

During this virtual workshop you will learn:
-- How Rachio can make any yard smart
-- Overview of installation, hardware & software setup
-- An overview of each schedule type
-- An overview of how the app works
-- An overview of your yard and zones

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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