Water Wise Gardening Tips Save Money and Resources

Drought is shaping up to be one of the major factors in many areas of the United States and the world.  Water restrictions happen more frequently and for longer periods of time.  Making sure that you water your lawn and garden efficiently is both eco friendly and budget wise.

Most water restrictions say you cannot water during the hours of 10 am and 6 pm, when evaporation is highest.  In fact, a sprinkler can lose up to 40% of the water it puts out to evaporation before a drop hits the lawn.  That means you are paying for almost twice as much water as you use.  Who needs that?

While it is possible to water a lawn in the evening or at night, doing so is unwise.  The vegetation stays wet much longer then and fungus and mold can take hold.  The best time to water is between about 5 am and 8 am.  The leaves dry gently as it gets warmer and are not as likely to host fungal or mold infections.

Turf grass and ornamentals should receive an inch of water a week.  You can tell how long your sprinkler has to run to do that by setting an empty can such as a tuna can or cat food can on the ground, running the sprinkler normally, and seeing how long it takes to get an inch of water in the can.  That is how long you run the sprinkler in each location.  If it rains, subtract that amount of water from what you put out that week.

Vegetables require water two or three times a week.  The soil should be kept moist but not squishy for maximum yield.  How much water that takes will vary by soil composition, so you will have to watch and see what works.

Sprinklers are by their nature inefficient.  Some water will always be lost to evaporation, the foliage gets wet, the vegetables get wet, and not as much water reaches the roots, where it is needed.  To make them more efficient here are some steps you can take.  Make sure your sprinklers do not put water out on the cement or other paved surface.  If you have an irrigation system, you need to check each sprinkler head to make sure it is working properly, doesn’t send geysers into the air, and is pointed properly.

Drip irrigation is the gold standard of waterwise gardening.  Not everyone can afford it, particularly if your landscape is established.  However, switching to a soaker hose, which sends water out with less evaporation, can help your water bill significantly when compared to a sprinkler.

Another thing that will help is mulching flower and vegetable beds with three inches of mulch.  The mulch forms a weed barrier and holds in the water. Each year, you add an inch of mulch.  The bottom inch slower decomposes over the year, enriching the soil.

If you follow these tips, you should be able to keep your landscape looking good for less money while conserving water.  You can get more information on water conservation from your water provider or your county extension agent.

Stephanie Suesan Smith, Ph.D. is a writer, master gardener, member of the Garden Writer’s Association, photographer, and woodworker. She has published a pamphlet with step-by-step instructions on how to harness your RSS feed called Using Social Media to Make Your Blog Work Harder, available for $0.99 from Amazon.com and Preparing Your Vegetable Garden From the Ground Up, also available from Amazon.com.

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