Need Drip Irrigation Timing Help

How long and/or how often do I set my drip irrigation timers?

Area: Southern California, San Diego - La Mesa, 10 miles from coast
Land: 40 degree slope, approx 100 X 40 feet
System: Drip irrigation with timer box for 6 zones, 5 zones installed, 4 to 10 small sprinklers per zone (sprinklers are the standard home depot fittings - small - either an umbrella spray to wet about 3-4 foot diameter circle, or 4 small streams for about 1 foot diameter.
Vegitation: One lemon tree (20 feet high), 2 large trees (15-20 feet), 25 small to medium bushes/flowering plants.

I can easily set timers for one or two waterings a day, and select any desired days of the week.

I'm thinking of one round of watering before sunrise (10-15 minutes??), and one short watering (2 minutes) during time when I'm home so I can observe and look for leaks. I have two dogs, so I might have some chewed up sprinklers on occasion.

Hello RoboticsProfessor,

I asked a Connie Beck, who is very knowledgeable about gardening and especially low water an irrigation in San Diego, and this was her reply:

Most people water WAY too often and for too little time. Based on what I know of La Mesa soils (there is some variation) I would suggest no more often than once a week and run the drippers for at least an hour. You want to water your citrus to 2' deep. Commercial citrus groves water every 3 weeks. Your drip lines should be under mulch which helps the soil stay moist and cool between waterings, also may cut down on dog chewing. Very important not to use salt based commercial fertilizers with drip irrigation. Use only organics. Try this watering schedule for awhile and then make adjustments. If you have been watering almost daily then your roots are all in the top 3" of soil and waiting a week to water right now will really hurt your plants. GRADUALLY spread out the frequency of watering and increase the depth over the next two months.

I hope this helps!