Some of you may be living through the hottest, driest summer you've been through yet (like I am). In severe droughts, it's especially important to use water efficiently and according to the city's guidelines. While it's no secret that you need water to keep your garden alive, here are a few more tips to help you prioritize when water is scarce.
Take care of your foundation. Drought means that the ground becomes extremely dry, obviously, and cracks. If it gets dry enough, it can actually shift—causing your foundation to shift, too. Experts recommend wrapping a soaker hose about six inches from the foundation, and watering at the homeowner's discretion (i.e., weigh your worries over the foundation against the water bill), or a few times per week to be safe.
Don't neglect the big trees. Large trees may look better for longer than their smaller counterparts, but eventually they'll need watering too. Employ soaker hoses again here, but don't just water at the base of the tree: a tree's roots extend as far as their leafy canopies, so wrap soaker hoses in concentric circles around the tree until it's as far out as the branches. This will help make sure water reaches all the roots.
Forget the grass. Our lawn died about a month ago, but our water bill didn't make us cry. One neighbor with a green lawn said he was shocked when he opened his utility bills last month. Forget the grass and focus on larger, structural, and fruit-bearing plants.
Never water when the sun's up. If possible, water very early in the morning so that the plants have time to drink and the water doesn't immediately evaporate away.
Have any other drought tips? Do share!
Related posts:
• Re-Nest On... Extreme Weather and Everyday Life
• Water-Wise Planting: Xeriscape Garden Inspiration
• Drought in California
(Image: Flickr member JobyOne licensed under Creative Commons.)
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I knew a girl whose grandma had picked up a habit during the depression of taking the p-trap off the sinks and putting a bucket under the drain. When the bucket got full she watered her garden.
Since I'm paying my own water bill for the first time ever I'm thinking this sounds like a great idea. Sending perfectly good grey water down the drain is expensive.
I've been just sick watching my neighbors dump water on their lawns. I live in north Texas and which we oddly don't have any water restrictions right now (we should) our grass is mostly dead because I can't justify guzzling water on it. Most of my surrounding neighbors are running their sprinkler systems 3 times a day! I watch gallons of water pour off down the drain. What horrible irresponsibility on their parts and for what? A SLIGHTLY less dead lawn!
Our air conditioner condensate pump failed a while back and I have not got to fixing it yet. what I found out was that even running 1/2 day in so cal it puts out near 2 gallons of water. I have been using that to water my plants outside for weeks. I am soon going to put a rain barrel outside to catch it all.
We don't water the grass during summer; it's ok if it goes dormant. The only supplemental watering I do is to plants on an as-needed basis, usually no more than once a week. I water by hand--I find it very relaxing and it allows me to water exactly where it is needed.