Nature Designs Landscaping Tips for Saving
Water in your Landscape
According to Steve Jacobs, president of Nature Designs Landscaping, there are a number of ways you can maintain green plants, including grass, in your yards and stay within the water saving restrictions. Some of Steve’s tips are:
- Replace your existing spray heads with rotor nozzles. There are nozzles designed to retrofit over spray heads. These nozzles put down less water per minute. They are excluded from the 10 minute watering limitation. The real benefit of the rotor heads is that more of the water that is put down is soaked in by the plant material. Also, the water droplets emitted from these heads are larger, so they drift less (staying where you want the water and not blowing onto sidewalks and walls), and evaporate less. You may even qualify for a rebate of the cost of these nozzles.
- Replace your irrigation system with a drip system. A drip irrigation system, if installed properly and used properly, is the most efficient irrigation system you can have. Using this system of irrigation, you will use less water, and you will have better looking plants.
- Install a Smart Irrigation Timer. These devices adjust the water schedule based on the weather. If it rains, it will turn the system off. If it is extra dry, it will water more. In addition to the efficient water use, you may also qualify for a rebate from the State of California if purchasing this item. Nature Designs Landscaping is a certified installer of the SmartLine Weathermatic irrigation controller.
- Do not use all your 10 minutes at once. Most likely, within 2-3 minutes after you turn on your spray system, runoff begins. This is caused by the soil not being able to absorb the water as fast as it is sprinkling down. Instead, let the sprinklers run only for the time the soil can absorb the water. When runoff begins, stop the sprinklers. After an hour water again for another short period. Repeat this as necessary. This way your 10 minutes may be spread over 3 or 4 cycles. And more of the water gets to the plant roots instead of the gutter.
- Typically, the plant material that uses the largest amount of water is your lawn. An easy way to cut down on your irrigation bill is to decrease the size of your lawn. You do not need to let the whole lawn die, but extend your flower beds with drought tolerant plants and save some water for the grass that remains. The landscapes of the future will have well placed lawns that fit the needs of the family.
- Converting your landscaping to drought tolerant plants is another option. Not all drought tolerant plants are cactus and succulents. It is possible that even a tropical looking garden can be a drought tolerant or water wise garden.
More water savings can be discovered through a water audit. Nature Designs Landscaping can perform this irrigation audit and recommend corrections or changes to your irrigation system.