Water Conservation: Garden Water Savings

By Phil The Gardener

Each of us should do our part to save water. Water is a necessary element in the sustenance of life. It becomes a strong issue in areas where there isn’t enough clean and sanitary water for people to drink. You have to admit we take a lot for granted.

As the days get shorter and they are not as intense we don’t have the evaporation by the sun like we did during the long hot summer days. Plants don’t require as much water to stay healthy.

Take a look around you as you drive through your neighborhood, and you’ll see how your neighbors do their part to conserve water. Some do real well, others never change their sprinkler timer from the time it was installed.

Your lawn and plants require less water in cooler temperatures so your sprinkler timer should be adjusted accordingly to save you lots of dollars on your water bill, especially if you have a meter.

With good soil preparation around your plants and regulating the amount of water you apply, your plants can be trained to put out more roots this will encourage them to flourish with less water.

Cities around the country that are located in areas that don’t get enough water for your plants to live without irrigation enforce water restrictions to conserve this necessary resource.

Check with your local water district to see what days you are allowed to water at your address. The schedules are generally odd and even days with the odd-numbered addresses taking one side of the street and the even-numbered addresses take the other.

Adjust your sprinkler timer for the correct watering days for your side of the street. Make adjustments to the amount of time each zone is allowed to water depending on the type of plant material you are applying water to.

Another way to reduce your water usage is to just walk around your yard and identify the areas where there is being too much water applied by your sprinklers. Make the necessary adjustments by changing the nozzle or repairing broken heads.  Hand water dry spots for new plantings instead of running that zone will save water.