Water Conservation Tips

 Sprinkler system watering flowers

Many of us want to create a green and luscious landscape, but might be concerned about the amount of water needed to maintain it. In recent years, water has become a scarce natural resource in the United States, making it more important than ever to conserve water. Adopting water-wise landscaping practices benefits us and society as a whole by preserving the resources and helping to prevent local water supply pollution. 

If you want to reduce landscape water use but still have a beautiful lawn and garden, follow these water conservation tips:

Lawn Watering
When watering your grass, the key is the apply enough water to soak down to the roots. At most, your lawn will need one inch of water each time, which is plenty to soak the six to ten inches. Watering deeply but infrequently also encourages deeper roots. 

To avoid wasting water, measure your sprinkler output. Not doing so can use up to 300 gallons of water per hour, plus your lawn will be over-watered. 
How to measure output: 
  • Scatter six to eight flat bottomed cans (i.e. tuna or cat food cans) around your lawn. 
  • Run the sprinkler for 15 minutes. 
  • Measure the amount of water in each can with a ruler. Add the total amount of water in all cans, then divide by the number of cans. For example, if you have six cans with 1.8 inches of total water, .3 is the average.
  • This average is your sprinkler number or the amount of water your sprinkler applies in 15 minutes. 
Once you’ve calculated your sprinkler number, you can determine how long to run your sprinkler. Watering time in minutes provides one inch of water on your lawn, per the chart below.

Sprinkler Number
.2
.3
.4
.5
.6
.7
.8
.9
1.0
Watering Time (in minutes)
75
50
37
30
25
22
19
16
15
Chart from www.wateruseitwisely.com

Typically, you should only have to water your lawn once weekly to keep it green and hydrated throughout the summer. 

Landscape Watering
Contrary to popular belief you shouldn’t water your trees and shrubs at the trunk or the leaves. To ensure water gets to the roots, water under the edge of the leaf canopy (or drip line). 
Similar to your lawn, the most effective way to water your landscape is deeply but infrequently. Larger plants and trees need more water due to their deeper roots, but they can be watered less frequently because those deeper roots can store more water. 

When watering with drip emitters, plan to use ½ to four gallons per hour. For watering by hand for hose, you’ll need 2 to five gallons per minute. If you have a lot of ground or greenery to cover, consider installing drip emitters if you haven’t already done so. You’ll be able to water your lawn and landscape in less time while conserving a considerable amount of water.

Follow the guidelines in this chart to determine the watering needs (in gallons)  of all your plants and shrubs:
Plant Canopy (Feet)
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Tree
1.5
5
11
16
22
26
38
59
85
115
150
190
235
Shrub
1
4
8
12
17
20







Small Plant
.5
2
3.5
5
7
9







Chart from www.wateruseitwisely.com

Per the chart, an 8-foot tree requires about 38 gallons of water  A favorable set up out be four 4-gallon per hour emitters for 2.5 hours. (4 x 4 x 2.5 = 40 gallons). 

Water your plants and shrubs only when then need it. Usually, plants only need to be watered when they start wilting. 

Other Conservation Tips
  • The best time to water your lawn and landscape is in the morning. Evening watering increases the risk of fungus on your plants. 
  • Install a rain gauge in your yard. If you get more than ¾ inches of rain in a week, you can skip watering your lawn. 
  • Attach a moisture or rain sensor to your automatic sprinkler system. 
  • Collect rainfall and downspout runoff with rain barrels. Apply the collected rainwater to your gardens and container plants. 

AquaTX Sprinkler is a trusted leader in sprinkler and irrigation installation and repair. If you’re looking for a professional company with integrity who puts the customers first, you found the right one. Call us at 1-512-450-4217 or visit our website to save water and money today!



Sources

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Location: AquaTX Sprinkler

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