Santa Ana Winds-Southern California & Cool Season H2O

An idea for improvement. Increase watering before wind events for drip systems only. CA Santa Ana winds are devastating to plants in So. California. It is best to provide extra water to them before or during the winds.

The other setting change that I, as a horticulturist, recommend is to have a primarily cool season water setting as opposed to solely warm season settings. During our frequently droughty winters, CA native plants and other plants from similar climates require extra water during our cool season to make up for a lack of sufficient rain.

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Mission Viejo here - Agreed. Came to the forum looking for notes on this and other local nuances. Thanks.

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You can water your drip system during the Santa Ana winds. You only need to increase the values on the weather skip to allow for 40 or 50 mph winds while keeping the freeze and saturation points in tact.

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Thank you. How do I make adjustments for plants/zones that like cool season irrigation in case it doesn’t rain enough?

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I will normally set the drip to a lower emitter size so that it runs longer. Then adjust the root depth so that it regulates the fequency.