You worked hard (or paid a lot of money) to create the beautiful landscape that surrounds your home, so it only makes sense that you want to maintain it. Many people think that the only way to keep their yard green is to water it constantly. However, overwatering can be detrimental to the health of your landscape by causing shallow roots, weed growth, fungus, and disease. Even more, it’s environmentally wasteful and can become costly. Check out these tips for maintaining a lush yard with less water (and a pleasant surprise when you open your water bill!)
- Water in the morning. Less evaporation occurs in the morning, so it’s best to set your sprinklers to finish their cycle before 8 am. There is less wind and heat earlier in the day, which allows your landscape to utilize fully the water it receives.
- Use mulch. Adding mulch to your landscape is an easy way to save on water (and it can be visually complementary to flowers and plants). Mulch acts as a sponge to hold and retain water, making it available to the surrounding soil when necessary.
- Pay attention to the weather. This seems obvious, but many people forget that they should be adjusting their watering frequencies with changing weather. You should be watering the most during July and August and less in the preceding and proceeding months. During periods of precipitation, turn automatic systems off.
- Make necessary adjustments and repairs. Observe the pattern of your sprinkler system and if you notice excess water being sprayed on sidewalks, streets, patios, etc., move your sprinklers or reset them to ensure the landscape itself is receiving most of the water. If you feel like something is wrong with your sprinkler system, have it checked out as soon as possible. A leak in an automatic system could waste hundreds of gallons of water or even cause structural damage to your home.
- Water heavily, but less often. If you’re watering every day, consider watering every other day or every few days, but increase the time the sprinklers run on these days. This reduces evaporation and allows water to seep further down into the soil, giving roots the moisture they need.
- Use a trigger sprayer when hand-watering. Attaching a trigger sprayer allows you to only disperse water from a hose when you need to. This saves water from being wasted when you’re doing anything other than watering your landscape (moving areas, taking a break, etc.). Trigger sprayers are an especially good investment because they serve dual purposes, like washing cars and other cleaning projects.
- Install smart sprinkler technology. New technology monitors the weather and condition of your soil and then automatically turns your sprinkler system on when necessary. Smart sprinkler systems, while sometimes pricey, allow you to effortlessly minimize the amount of water used to take care of your landscaping.
Even though it’s been an exceptionally hot summer, you may still be overwatering your exterior landscape. Follow our tips to reduce the amount of water you’re using while keeping the environment, your yard, and your bank account happy!