How to Conserve Water Outside

Conserving water outside is not only good for the environment, but it is also good for your pocket book. There are several ways you can easily conserve water without losing your lush lawn or a bountiful garden. Here is how to implement them into your yard.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Empty soda bottles
• Mulch

Saving on Lawn Watering

1. Water during the most effective time of the day. Watering during the hot hours of the day--between 10 and 3--makes the water evaporate before it can be of use to your lawn, according to the Texas Water Development Board. In fact, you lose 60 percent of that water. Watering during cooler parts of the day helps your lawn to get more water, so you will need to water less.

2. Let your lawn grow. A lawn that isn't overly short shades the ground, keeping water from evaporating as quickly.

3. Plant grasses that take less water to live, such as Bermuda, Buffalo or centipede grasses.

Conserving Water in the Garden

4. Cut a plastic soda bottle in half. Bury it upside down halfway into the ground beside your plant. Instead of watering the entire surface area of your garden, fill the bottles beside each plant. The water goes directly to the root system and not to unused soil in the garden, cutting down on water usage and weeds.

5. Use mulch. Mulch not only helps to fertilize your plants, it also holds moisture in and keeps it from evaporating.

6. Add organic material such as compost or manure to your soil so that water can penetrate it more deeply. This also helps the soil to retain water for your plants.