Water Wisely
If you water your landscape when it doesn’t need any, or apply too much, you might end up encouraging weed growth, increasing mowing time, stimulating disease outbreaks, and raising your water bill!
A truly efficient way to use water in a yard is to design the yard so that it thrives predominantly on rainfall. Even if your yard has a lawn and specialty gardens, it is possible to design it as a Carolina Yard in which you can water the plants “as needed.”
Water Wisely Actions:
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Put a rain gauge in your yard and track rainfall to avoid unnecessary watering. Your landscape needs 1” of water per week.
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Water your lawn and other plants only when they show signs of stress.
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Use a drip- or micro-spray irrigation system to more efficiently water plants and plant beds.
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Most plants are dormant in the Winter so reduce watering during that time.
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Design or modify your sprinkler system to water lawn areas separately from plant beds, which require less water.
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Calibrate your sprinkler(s) to apply 1/2 to 3/4 inch of water per application. Walk your yard when the irrigation system is on to ensure that water is being applied to lawn and plant beds only and not the pavement.
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Connect an automatic rain shut-off device to your sprinkler system’s timer and set the device to 1/2 inch so it will override the timer when enough rain has fallen. Check to see if the shut-off device is working properly.
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