Hi, I've just replaced my irrigation controller, from one Hunter to this Hunter X-Core eight station. I only have six stations, and I want to program them this way: Program A: Station 1 and Station 4: 20 minutes each every third evening Program B: Station 2 and Station 5: 20 minutes each every third evening Program C: Station 3 and Station 6: 20 minutes each every third evening Problem is, when I program it, all the stations come on the first evening, take two days off, then all come on again the fourth evening. I'd like Program A to come on one evening, Program B the next, then Program C the next, then back to Program A. It seems like with the Hunter Pro-C or ICC controllers, when you set interval days you can set the 'days left' until a program starts, but you can't do that with the X-Core. Any ideas how to do this with the X-Core? Thanks, Peter

There are three aspects to lawn care with a bonus aspect you should not need. Generally you need water, mowing, and fertilizer. The bonus is for stuff that can go wrong out of your control. But here they are in order of importance. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall. Mowing: Mulch mow at your mower's highest setting. The fine fescues may flop over when mowed that high so adjust downward as needed. Fertilizing: First app of fertilizer goes down in late May. Next is early Sept. Last is late November after the lawn has gone dormant but before you get freezing weather. If you normally only use chemical fertilizers, either add an organic fertilizer any time you like, or replace any of the three regular applications with organic. The soil will thank you. Weeds: Use a preemergent weed control in early to mid March when the forsythia are blooming in YOUR neighborhood. Use a post emergent weed spray to spot spray broadleaf weeds in mid April. If you get regular fall rain showers, use the preemergent again in August. This will catch weeds that germinate and remain dormant over the winter. Insects: Do not pre treat for insects. Insects are not usually a problem. If they are a problem for you, you will see the damage in July. The problem with pretreating is that most insects are beneficial and play a valuable role in soil and lawn health. Disease: Do not anticipate disease and pretreat for that either. Most of the fungi in the soil and on plants are beneficial and play a valuable role in soil and plant health. If you think you have a disease issue, please send pictures in here or any forum to get advice. When I came to this forum I thought I knew how to care for my lawn. I had to unlearn just about everything I believed was true (daily watering, mowing low, extra fertilizer in the summer, and other things). From my experience in forums for 15 years, most lawn issues are caused by improper watering. After that mowing height and fertilizer cause the most issues.

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