Conserve Water In The Garden

In these days of water shortages you really should consider conserving water around your home. One area you can do this is in the garden. There are a number of steps you can take to conserve water in the garden. This hub has those steps.

1. Ensure that your sprinkler system is in good condition. Make you that you fix any broken or missing spray heads or emitters.

2. You should consider putting in a drip or low-volume irrigation system.

3. If you want to reduce your lawn maintenance then 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.

4. Allow unused portions of your lawn to turn brown. Use your water for more desirable landscaping.

5. Replace lawns and plants that have heavy water demands with drought-tolerant varieties.

6. 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.)

7. Keep your beds and lawns weeded. Weeds steal moisture from desirable plants.

8. 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.

9. Mulch to retain moisture in the soil.