Make Every Drop Count in a Colorado Drought
During a drought summer in the Pikes Peak region, every minute your sprinklers run matters. Water rules tighten, fines increase, and a “set it and forget it” approach can leave you with a painful water bill and a stressed yard.
Colorado’s high altitude, thin air, and strong sun mean water disappears fast. Spray too long at the wrong time of day and much of it simply blows away or evaporates before it reaches the roots. The goal is not to keep everything lush and perfect, but to keep your yard alive and safe while staying within the rules.
In this guide, we are sharing practical ways to adjust irrigation systems in Colorado when water is limited, so you can dial in watering windows, run times, and priority zones. At ABC Landscaping, our team works in this weather and soil every day, and we see what actually survives a drought and what does not.
Know Your Watering Window and Local Rules
First, you need to understand what you are allowed to do. Colorado cities often set rules like:
- Certain watering days per week
- No watering during midday, such as late morning through afternoon
- Limits on hand watering or drip use
- Warnings or fines for going over
Check your local guidelines, then plan your schedule within that window, not the other way around.
In our dry, windy climate, early morning is usually the best time to water. Before sunrise through mid-morning, air temperatures are cooler, winds are calmer, and more water reaches the root zone instead of evaporating. Late evening can sometimes work, but very late watering can keep foliage wet overnight, which can encourage disease in turf and plants.
Even on one property, different areas behave like their own tiny climates. For example:
- South-facing slopes bake in full sun and may dry out first
- The north side of the house holds moisture longer
- Windy corners near open fields lose water faster
- Low spots near downspouts may stay damp after storms
If your controller allows it, group these microclimates into separate zones. Then, build a simple watering calendar for your peak summer months. Write down:
- Approved watering days
- Time window when watering is allowed
- Planned run times for each zone type
Review it each week and tweak it when rules or weather change.
Set Smart Run Times by Lawn, Beds, and Hardscape Edges
Not every zone should run the same number of minutes. Turf, shrub beds, drip, and narrow strips each use water differently. Soil type, sun, and slope all change how long you can water before you hit runoff or waste.
Here are general starting points many homeowners use for irrigation systems in Colorado, then cut back in drought years:
- Spray head lawn zones, shorter times, more often, such as 2 to 3 cycles of a few minutes
- Rotary head lawn zones, longer run times, such as 2 cycles of moderate length
- Drip zones for trees and shrubs, fewer days, but deeper, longer soak
On hillsides or compacted yards, long run times are almost always a problem. Water starts to sheet off down the sidewalk or into the street. Cycle-and-soak helps here. Instead of one 20-minute cycle, you might set:
- 3 cycles of around 6 to 7 minutes
- With a 30 to 60 minute break between cycles
That break lets water sink in before the next pass.
Modern controllers usually have useful tools built in:
- Separate programs like A, B, and C for turf, shrub beds, and drip
- Seasonal adjust or “water budget” percentage to bump everything up or down at once
- Rain sensors or soil sensors that pause watering when conditions are already wet
Use those features instead of guessing at minutes every time the weather changes. Once you have a base schedule, the seasonal adjust button can handle most of your tweaks.
Prioritize Zones When Water Is Limited
In a tough drought, you probably cannot keep everything green. You need a clear plan for what to protect first and what can go brown if needed.
Think of your yard in tiers:
- Top priority, trees, especially mature shade trees and fruit trees
- Next, shrubs and perennials, especially those near the house or outdoor living spaces
- Then, high-visibility or high-use lawn areas, like the front yard or kids’ play spaces
- Lowest, low-traffic turf on side yards, narrow strips, or back corners
Mature trees are often the most valuable plants on your property, and also the slowest to replace if they die. They shade your home, protect soil, and support the rest of the yard. Even if your lawn has to dry out, try to keep trees on a deep, slow watering plan.
To triage your yard, walk it with a marker or flags and label:
- Must-save zones, trees, key shrub beds, key front lawn areas
- Nice-to-have zones, beds and lawn that matter, but could thin out a bit
- Okay-to-brown zones, areas you can let go dormant or even replant later
Then, adjust your controller so high-priority zones keep more of their run time, middle zones get trimmed, and low-priority zones are reduced to a survival level or even turned off for periods.
When we design or update irrigation systems in Colorado, we aim to separate those priority areas into their own zones as much as possible. That way, when drought rules hit, you are not stuck watering low-value turf just to save a tree that happens to share its line.
Adjust Scheduling Through Monsoon Storms and Heat Waves
Summer weather here can swing fast. One week you are dodging downpours and hail, and the next week the sun feels like a heat lamp on your yard.
During stormy patterns, try:
- Using the rain delay button on your controller after a good soaking
- Checking soil with a screwdriver or trowel; if it slides in easily and the soil feels cool and damp a few inches down, you can skip a cycle
- Watching forecasted storms and trimming run times a bit ahead of time
After hail, check for broken heads and clogged nozzles. A damaged head can waste a lot of water in a short time.
During heat waves, some zones may need temporary help. You can:
- Slightly increase the seasonal adjust percentage on turf programs
- Add an extra short cycle-and-soak pass on the hottest days, instead of one huge extra soak
- Watch for early stress in turf, color dulling, footprints that stay, blades folding
Deep-rooted plants like trees and established shrubs usually handle short heat waves better, as long as they get consistent deep watering. Grass responds faster, both in stress and recovery.
A simple weekly “10-minute irrigation check” helps keep things tuned:
- Walk each zone while it runs
- Look for spray hitting sidewalks, streets, or fences
- Note clogged or misaligned heads
- Check for obvious dry spots or soggy spots
Small fixes now keep your drought plan working the way you intended.
Upgrade Your Irrigation Plan Before the Next Dry Spell
Drought years are tough, but they also show you exactly where your system and schedule are weak. Notice which zones stayed healthy on less water and which struggled. Pay attention to:
- Where you saw the most runoff
- Which plants wilted first
- Which areas stayed green with shorter run times
Use that information to refine your long-term plan. Group similar microclimates together, adjust nozzles and heads, and consider better separation between high-value plantings and low-value turf. A mid-season irrigation audit or professional controller programming can help you fine-tune without guesswork.
As a family-owned company rooted in the Pikes Peak region, we have built outdoor spaces that survive our high-altitude swings for years. Smart scheduling, smarter zoning, and thoughtful priority choices turn limited water into real results, even in a hard drought.
Transform Your Colorado Landscape With Efficient Irrigation Today
If you are ready to upgrade your yard with reliable water management, our team at ABC Landscaping can design and install customized irrigation systems in Colorado that fit your property and local climate. We focus on solutions that protect your plants, conserve water, and simplify day-to-day maintenance. Reach out to us through our contact page to schedule a consultation and get a tailored plan for your landscape.