You know I’m loving our new lawn, and we’re certainly doing our best in this California drought to keep it green and gorgeous, but I have been thinking a lot lately about water conservation and ways that we can be as efficient as possible with our water use.
And if you’re not a resident of my state, and you’re sick of hearing about it and think that it doesn’t have anything to do with you, keep in mind that most of the water in California goes to agriculture, and California supplies much of America’s fruits and vegetables. You a fan of spinach and artichoke dip? In the U.S. California is responsible for 99% of artichoke production and 71% spinach production. Having a kiwi in your smoothie somewhere in our country? You can probably thank California for that fuzzy green fruit you’re enjoying, as it grows 97% of them. The truth is, the drought affects all of us (at least, if you live in America) and no matter where or how you live, everyone could benefit from being a little more consciousness of how we use our water.
I’m not all doom and gloom, I know that it’s only matter of time before we have a good moisture year and everything will be good again. I also know that despite the fact that some Californians seem to forget this, the majority of California is desert, and we’re going to experience dry cycles forever, it’s just the nature of the climate; it’s time for us to be a little more water wise.
Obviously, I’m not going to suggest doing anything that I wouldn’t do myself. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that depending on where you live, you should replace all your lawn and existing plants with turf or other arid landscaping. If that’s your jam great; I happen to love my green grass and have waited years to be able to enjoy it, so I don’t plan on letting it die anytime soon.
- Don’t water during the hotter parts of the day, try to water early in the morning, or later in the evening. This will vary depending on where you live, but a general rule of thumb would be not between the hours of 8:00 am and 7:00 pm. Keep in mind that the longer your lawn can sit saturated, the better off it will be.
- Watering less often, for longer periods of time, will actually establish a better, deeper root system and be better for your plants in the long run.
- Consider aerating or fertilizing your lawn. Both those things should typically be done once or twice a year, and might be much more beneficial then watering more often.
- If you are purchasing new plants, consider getting ones that are labeled as “drought tolerant” plants. Even if you don’t live in a dry area, these plants are great because they tend to be hardy, so even if you don’t have the greenest thumb, they’re probably make it. Plus, if you travel or just forget to water a lot, then you don’t have to worry. I have had a lot of luck with the Smart Planet plants from Home Depot.
- Consider installing a drip system for plants, which will deliver water closer to the base of the plant and water more efficiently.
- Look into getting rain barrels, so when it does rain you can collect all that rain run off from your gutters to use in your garden.
- Always be sure to check your local water agency and what their current guidelines and restrictions are, you don’t want to be served with a heavy fine because you didn’t know what your watering days were.
Some links contain affiliates, all opinions are my own.
15 Responses to practical water conservation tips for landscapes
What a great post for Earth day!!
Perfect tips! Love your attitude and thoughts about it all too, we are on the same wave length. I live in SoCal 🙂
Great Tips. We are looking for some new plants for our yard and I will be checking for drought tolerant plants now.
These are great tips – many of them I learned from my parents, who learned from their parents back when there were major droughts. If we all do a bit, we can help each other out.
Getting rain barrels has been on our to-do list for a while now. We just picked up some fertilizer so hopefully our lawn will need a little less from us this year. Great tips!
Great tips! We get put on water restrictions here in Texas pretty often. We've had a pretty wet Spring so far. But then again we have 110 Summers in Texas! It's always good to conserve water.
Another Texan here, but I lived in LA for much of my adult life. In each place, I make sure I have a gardener who practices water efficiency. We have a nice drip system. Especially with all the water restrictions we have here in Texas, it comes in handy.
Great Sara! I've really loved ours. 🙂
Oh yes, I remember Texas Summers well. 🙂
Drip systems are awesome, we're planning to install some in our orchard/garden area later this year. 🙂
We're fertilizing this weekend, it'll be our first time so it should be interesting.
Great ideas!!! Not just for earth day but every day!!!
Very smart list of tips. I like that you doing go crazy with it. Being sustainable, conservative, and green doesn't have to be extreme. Start small. Cheers to a healthy, lush lawn for you! =)
I agree with you. I doesn't matter where you live, this is a serious issue. Great tips! I do know a few people that do the rain barrel system. I am definitely interested in going that route.
These are great tips! When we finally get a house, I want to get some rain barrels.
And I'm with you–YAY agriculture. It's important to sustain it.