When most people think of ways to reduce their water consumption, they think of things they can do in the home. These are things like installing low flow toilets and faucet aerators, taking shorter showers, checking all pipes for leaks and being more efficient while washing clothes and dishes, using the garbage disposal, brushing teeth and shaving. There are other ways to reduce water consumption around the home, though, including tools and tips you can use in your lawn and garden areas. Consider a few of the top lawn and garden water saving tips from the pros:
Check for Leaks Outside, Too
While you’re checking for leaks in the pipes and faucets inside your home, it’s also important to see if there are any leaks outside. Be sure to check the couplings, hoses, faucets and pipes in your outdoor spaces. And don't forget about your irrigation system, follow these handy steps to see if your sprinklers have a leak.
Choose the Right Grasses and Plants
One of the most impactful ways to reduce water consumption in your lawn and garden is to choose drought-resistant plants, shrubs and grasses rather than species that require a great deal of water. If you’re planning on doing some landscaping, this is important to keep in mind. Local species are typically the best choice for water efficiency, as well as resistance to disease. Putting some mulch around new plants and trees will help extend soil moisture.
Water Your Lawn Carefully
Even if you can’t afford to replace your entire lawn with a new array of drought-resistant plants, you can still achieve reduced water and energy consumption with careful lawn watering. First of all, only water the lawn when you need it. There are soil moisture meters that can help you determine if you’re watering at the appropriate level, and rain water gauges to help you figure out how to adjust your watering following precipitation. Get to the roots when you do water, try to water during earlier parts of the day and don’t water when it’s windy.
Install New Nozzles, Filters and Timers
Just as there are inventive products, such as bath aerators, that help reduce water consumption inside the home, there are also products to reduce water usage out of your hoses and sprinklers. Products such as garden hose nozzles, automatic lawn sprinkler timers and filters allow you to adjust spray settings, ranging from mist to soak, to get the perfect amount of water when you need it.
Wash Your Cars Conservatively
Saving water at home is especially important while washing your car. By simply turning the hose off every time you fill up a bucket of sudsy water, and then not turning it on again until you’re ready to rinse the car off, you can save more than 100 gallons of water in one washing. You could save even more water by using a waterless car washing system, and there are several of these to choose from.
This can go a long way toward the goal of water and energy conservation, which is good for the environment, good for your pocketbook and good for everyone sharing the Earth’s resources with you.
Even if you can’t afford to replace your entire lawn with a new array of drought-resistant plants, you can still achieve reduced water and energy consumption with careful lawn watering. First of all, only water the lawn when you need it. There are soil moisture meters that can help you determine if you’re watering at the appropriate level, and rain water gauges to help you figure out how to adjust your watering following precipitation. Get to the roots when you do water, try to water during earlier parts of the day and don’t water when it’s windy.
Install New Nozzles, Filters and Timers
Just as there are inventive products, such as bath aerators, that help reduce water consumption inside the home, there are also products to reduce water usage out of your hoses and sprinklers. Products such as garden hose nozzles, automatic lawn sprinkler timers and filters allow you to adjust spray settings, ranging from mist to soak, to get the perfect amount of water when you need it.
Wash Your Cars Conservatively
Saving water at home is especially important while washing your car. By simply turning the hose off every time you fill up a bucket of sudsy water, and then not turning it on again until you’re ready to rinse the car off, you can save more than 100 gallons of water in one washing. You could save even more water by using a waterless car washing system, and there are several of these to choose from.
This can go a long way toward the goal of water and energy conservation, which is good for the environment, good for your pocketbook and good for everyone sharing the Earth’s resources with you.
Author Bio:
Jesse loves to garden and takes good care of his lawn and other plants, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to him to protect the environment. He thinks these tips are great ways to achieve both a beautiful landscape and a healthy planet, and hopes they help others make good choices in and around their homes.
Jesse loves to garden and takes good care of his lawn and other plants, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to him to protect the environment. He thinks these tips are great ways to achieve both a beautiful landscape and a healthy planet, and hopes they help others make good choices in and around their homes.
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