Water Efficient Landscape Design Tips for Homeowners

If you’re someone who takes a lot of pride in your lawn, you’re certainly not alone. After all, a well landscaped yard is the first impression that anyone gets when visiting anyone’s house. But if you’re also someone who is passionate about being efficient, you might find yourself wondering if there’s anything that you can do to conserve more water as you’re manicuring your lawn.

The answer is “yes”. Several things, in fact. And the good news about each of the following recommendations is that they are relatively inexpensive and fairly easy to do too!

Use mulch. If you tend to do a lot of landscaping, then you’re probably already using mulch – at least during certain seasons of the year. However, did you know that mulch is a great way to be water efficient? By putting it around your plants, it helps to keep your soil moisturized. That way, you don’t have to water your plants quite as often.

Pay attention to the amount of water you use. One mistake that a lot of people make with their lawns is watering them during a less beneficial time of day. If you’re wondering when that is, it’s actually around noontime. That’s because during the middle of the day, that’s when it’s warmest outside. It’s also when there’s a greater chance that the water will actually evaporate rather than penetrate the soil. So, when’s a better time? You should actually water your lawn during the early morning or early evening hours. There’s less heat which makes it easier for the water to sink into the soil.

Watch your grass. Although there are a lot of people who assume that their grass can never get too much water, that’s actually a myth. The reality is that there is a very telling way to know if you need to water your grass or not. If you step onto it and it springs right back, it is still well-hydrated. On the other hand, if you step onto it and it makes a sound or continues to lay flat, that means it needs a bit of water.

Group plants together. If you were to ask someone who works at the MorGreen Landscape and Nursery for a water efficient landscaping tip, one of the things that they might tell you is to group your plants together. By researching the new greenery that you want to add to your landscape design, look to see which ones have similar watering needs. If you put each set of plants into one spot, you will end up using less water in the long run.

Purchase irrigation with a WaterSense label. If it’s time for you to install a new irrigation system, you want to use one that is made to be water efficient. One of the more popular companies to manufacture this type of irrigation is the company WaterSense. For instance, if you replace a clock timer with a WaterSense irrigation controller, you can easily save as much as 24 gallons per day. It’s definitely worth the investment. For more information on where you can go to purchase WaterSense products, visit EPA.gov and put “WaterSense” in the search field.