| Do you find your water bill going up | | | | fine spray up into the air will lose |
| each month you water your landscaping | | | | much of the water to evaporation and to |
| along with the rest of your bills? You | | | | wind. |
| might even question just how much water | | | | Surprisingly, hand held hose watering |
| your landscaping really needs. Perhaps | | | | was found to be the most water-efficient |
| it's time for you to think about how to | | | | way to provide moisture to your |
| make your watering more efficient so you | | | | landscaping. It uses 33% less water |
| have beautiful landscaping but save | | | | than the average household uses to water |
| water as well. | | | | their plants. |
| To water our landscaping, we use either | | | | Studies found that of the automated |
| some type of automated sprinkler system | | | | watering systems, in ground sprinkler |
| or a sprinkler that is dragged from spot | | | | systems used 35% more and those with |
| to spot. Right from the big | | | | automatic timers use 47% more water than |
| corporations right down to the homeowner | | | | places that did not use such automated |
| with just a speck of a lawn, most people | | | | systems. These timesaving devices |
| use or want to use some type of | | | | aren't saving you money or water. |
| automated watering system. You have | | | | Adding rain sensors, or better yet, soil |
| probably seen water from automated | | | | sensors to your automated watering |
| sprinkler systems running off the grass | | | | system saves water. You don't end up |
| and running down the street. I don't | | | | with the sprinkler system coming on in |
| know about you, but here in the arid | | | | the middle of a rainstorm or right after |
| West, when I see this, it makes me quite | | | | one when the ground is already soaked. |
| angry. This even can be seen in | | | | Automated drip irrigation systems were |
| droughts where a typical homeowner may | | | | found to be more efficient in the study |
| have to water his plants with saved | | | | using only 16% more than used by |
| waste water from inside his home. This | | | | non-automated watering households. Add |
| is not exactly an efficient use of | | | | the above sensors and you will have an |
| water. All around the country there are | | | | even better system. |
| problems with having clean water. It | | | | Perhaps the best tip is to not over |
| just doesn't make sense to waste water. | | | | water. This goes to more than not |
| Yet most landscaping owners use an | | | | watering after a rainstorm. It includes |
| inefficient and wasteful watering | | | | watering to your landscaping plants' |
| system. Here are a few tips to make | | | | specific moisture requirements. |
| watering your landscaping more efficient | | | | Consider including less water intensive |
| and less wasteful. | | | | plantings in your landscaping. It means |
| Watering systems for your landscaping | | | | watering, as your soil requires. Adjust |
| vary. Find one that is most efficient | | | | your watering schedule from that needed |
| for your needs. A good rule of thumb is | | | | in the high temperatures of summer to |
| that the larger the water drop delivered | | | | the less watering needed in fall as |
| and the closer to the ground the better | | | | temperatures go down. |
| it is. Using a system that delivers a | | | | |