Make sure your sprinkler system is in good condition. Repair any broken or missing spray heads or emitters.
Step2
Consider installing a drip or low-volume irrigation system.
Step3
Reduce your lawn maintenance - mow higher and less often, don't rake up the clippings, and avoid overwatering. As a rule, lawns need only about 1 inch of water a week; test how much you're watering by collecting your sprinkler water in a can.
Step4
Allow unused portions of your lawn to turn brown. Use your water for more desirable landscaping.
Step5
Replace lawns and plants that have heavy water demands with drought-tolerant varieties.
Step6
Check plants for moisture before watering. Look for clues such as curling leaves, a grayish color and permanent wilting, which indicate underwatering. (If the leaves turn yellow and drop, you could be overwatering.)
Step7
Keep your beds and lawns weeded. Weeds steal moisture from desirable plants.
Step8
Mix soil polymers, which retain moisture, into your soil. Add them when planting beds or containers, or drill the soil around existing plants and drop the polymers into the holes.
Step9
Mulch to retain moisture in the soil.
Tips & Warnings
Continue to fertilize flowers or vegetables as usual. Supply trees, shrubs and lawns with iron or potassium instead of high doses of nitrogen.
on 11/22/2005
I implant a pre-cut soaker hose in the mulch around each tree in my orchard. I then connect a regular hose from tree to tree using male and female ends that I install on my cut-up soaker hoses. Water is only used around the trees.
on 11/22/2005
If you use sprinklers to water your lawn or garden, make sure their settings are such that they don't waste water on the street, sidewalks or your driveway.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 I implant a pre-cut soaker hose in the mulch around each tree in my orchard. I then connect a regular hose from tree to tree using male and female ends that I install on my cut-up soaker hoses. Water is only used around the trees.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 If you use sprinklers to water your lawn or garden, make sure their settings are such that they don't waste water on the street, sidewalks or your driveway.