Save Water In Your Yard & Garden

Misuse of water isn’t just bad for the environment, it’s also bad news for your wallet. Here’s how to save water and still water efficiently.

• Water at night. Or you could water in the early morning, but usually nighttime (devoid of sun) gives you less evaporation time, which means your water goes further.
• Lose some grass: Reduce your lawn size by a decent amount when possible. Rocks, a patio, or drought resistant flowers use less water than your thirsty lawn.
• Be extra careful when positioning your sprinklers. The sidewalk doesn’t need watering.
• Mulch to prevent some evaporation – mulch holds water, sort of like a sponge.
• Use a water saving hose head and hose timer.
• Use rainwater you collect to water instead of new hose water. Seriously, anyone can collect and use rainwater. It’s really simple, and easy to use if you build a rain barrel with a decent spout.
• If you live on a hill, use a water efficient spray nozzle on your hose, and water upwards from the bottom of the hill. Lawns that tilt make it easy to have run-off water waste.
• Plant like with like – for example in the veggie and flower garden, it’s not smart planning to plant a bunch of drought resistant anything around a plant that needs more water to thrive. Plant thirsty plants together.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

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