The following tips will help you avoid waste when watering your lawn:
- Use a low-angle, pulsating sprinkler. Water sprayed high into the air produces a mist that loses much of its moisture through evaporation.
- Water the lawn, not the sidewalk or driveway.
- Lawns need about an inch of water per week. To determine how much watering time that requires, place an empty tuna tin within your sprinkler’s range, and note how long it takes to fill.
- When watering, account for recent rain.
- Use an automatic sprinkler system that allows you to adjust the area, frequency and/or duration. Set the timer to operate just prior to sunrise.
- Attach rain barrels to downspouts, in order to catch and hold roof runoff and then re-distribute it to your lawn, garden or container plants. Keep it covered for safety reasons, and to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. (Note: rainwater is actually better for plants because it doesn’t contain chlorine and has an ambient temperature).
