Ten Ways to Save Water

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6. Make a Rain Barrel

Rain barrels capture rainwater that flows off your roof for use in the landscape. They’re easy and inexpensive to make and can have a big impact on your water bill—instead of watering your plants with water you’re paying for, you’re using free water!

7. Use microirrigation

Drip or microspray irrigation systems apply water directly to the roots of plants, where it’s needed, and lose minimal water to evaporation or wind drift.

8. Mulch plants

Mulch helps keep moisture in the soil around your plants. Choose from many different kinds of mulch and apply 2 to 3 inches around trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetables.

9. Mow correctly

How you mow your lawn can have a big impact on how much water it needs.

• Raise your mowing deck to promote a healthy root system
• Keep your mower blades sharp; dull cuts make grass more disease-prone
• Cut no more than one third of the leaf blade each time you mow

10. Be a weather watcher

Rain is irrigation, too. Use it to your advantage—it’s free!

• Don’t water your landscape if it’s rained in the past twenty-four hours
• If rain is forecast in the next forty-eight hours, hold off on irrigating
• Purchase a rain gauge to track how much rain your plants are getting
• Install a rain shut-off device to override your irrigation system when it’s raining

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