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 You
can reduce garden water use in many ways - from simply watering
less often to investing in a new irrigation system or planting
scheme.
- Keep your sprinkler system is in good condition. Repair
any broken or missing spray heads or emitters.
- Go in for a drip or low-volume irrigation system.
- Reduce your lawn maintenance - mow higher and less often,
don't rake up the clippings, and avoid over watering.
- Water the lawn only when needed. Step on the grass; if
it springs back up when you move your foot, it does not
need water.
- Accept a less than lush lawn. Grass goes dormant during
periods of drought, but will readily regenerate when water
becomes available.
- Reduce traffic on stressed turf areas if possible.
- Drier areas require more water than areas where water
settles. If necessary, water dry areas by hand.
- Use a soil probe to test soil moisture. Water only when
a soil probe shows dry soil or a screwdriver is difficult
to push into the soil.
- Match fertilizer to the plant requirement. Fertilizer
applications require additional water. Excess fertilizer
stimulates top growth, often to the detriment of the root
system.
* Unused portions of the lawn can be allowed to turn brown.
Use the water for more desirable landscaping.
- Replace lawns and plants that have heavy water demands
with drought-tolerant varieties.
- Check plants for moisture before watering. Look for clues
such as curling leaves, a grayish color and permanent wilting,
which indicate under watering. (If the leaves turn yellow
and drop, you could be over watering.)
Keep your beds and lawns weeded. Weeds steal moisture from
desirable plants.
- 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.
- Mulch to retain moisture in the soil.
- Don't water the sidewalk If you use sprinklers to water
your lawn or garden, make sure their settings are such that
they don't waste water on the street, sidewalks or your
driveway.
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