Field notes
What to look for before you book.
Practical irrigation writing for Greater Houston. Each note links to the repair and the city it belongs to. Start from the repair list or the city list.
August 12, 2026
Thatch and heads that no longer clear the grass
St. Augustine thatch can swallow a head that was the right height two years ago. Raise the head. Do not solve it by doubling the minutes. A typical call sounds like this. In Old Townsite, in April, before the turf hides
August 11, 2026
Winter annuals do not need the July turf schedule
Color beds in First Colony rot on a turf program. Split the station or shorten it. The lawn zone can stay on its own plan. A typical call sounds like this. In Telfair, a week after a short Gulf freeze, someone notices
August 9, 2026
Keep valve boxes covered between visits
An open box is a trip and a home for debris that will hold a valve open. The lid goes back on before we leave, even if the repair continues another day. A typical call sounds like this. In Cypress Creek Lakes, in
August 8, 2026
The hose bib is not always the irrigation shutoff
Stopping a hose does not stop a stuck zone. Find the irrigation isolation valve, often near the backflow device, and turn that. A typical call sounds like this. In Memorial, in July, when the temptation is to add
August 7, 2026
Clocks that lose the program when the power blinks
After a storm outage, a clock can come back watering at midnight. Reset the time and the days before you assume a valve stuck. A typical call sounds like this. In Downtown Tomball, in April, before the turf hides every
August 5, 2026
Two controllers on one Houston house
A garage clock and an old clock in a closet will fight. Find both before you decide the new one is defective. A typical call sounds like this. In Sterling Ridge, a week after a short Gulf freeze, someone notices a blank
August 4, 2026
Wire connectors in a flooded valve box
Field connections under water corrode. The valve may test fine on the bench and still fail in the yard until the splice is redone dry, above the waterline if the box allows it. A typical call sounds like this. In Kings
August 3, 2026
Valve box lids broken by mowers
A crushed lid fills the box with soil. Soil holds the diaphragm off its seat. The symptom is a zone that will not close, and the cause is the lid. A typical call sounds like this. In Southdown, in July, when the
August 1, 2026
Label the stations while the zone is running
A controller that says 'Zone 4' is useless if nobody knows which lawn that is. We write the location on the card because the next repair depends on it. A typical call sounds like this. In Greatwood, in April, before the
July 31, 2026
What a photo of a wet spot can and cannot prove
A photo shows color and location. It does not show whether the water is there with the zone off. That test is the diagnosis. A typical call sounds like this. In Bridgeland, a week after a short Gulf freeze, someone
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