- Water in the morning or evening, when you’ll lose less to evaporation. When you water during cooler times, it’s also less stressful on plants.
- When you water, don’t spray the leaves. Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation, which target the roots of the plants and allows water to be slowly absorbed, instead of running off. Water deeply and infrequently, which helps shrubs, trees, and perennials develop deep root systems.
- Use permeable gravel, pavers, and mulch so that rain water can be absorbed instead of running off into storm drains.
- Let your lawn go brown during the dry times. It’ll come back when the first rains hit.
For those looking to do new planting or willing to invest a little more time into going drought-tolerant, try these:
- Plant natives, which are already adapted to your local climate and will do well with rainfall, eliminating the need for supplemental water.
- Xeriscaping, which reduces the amount of water by using drought-tolerant plants suitable for local climates, is a great way to have a beautiful garden with minimal water.
- Get rid of your lawn. Probably one of the best ways to cut back on water use is by getting rid of water-thirsty green patch in front.
- Plant a tree. Trees help keep landscapes cool, provide shade, and can reduce water needs in your yard.
- Implement a greywater system. Greywater is water from the dishwasher, clothes washer, or shower, all of which can be directed to your garden to water trees and plants. You can do this the low-tech way, with buckets, or the higher-tech way, with actual plumbing. Sometimes the water is filtered through a pond in the garden; other times it’s used straight, such as piping shower water into the toilet to flush it. It’s a very ingenious way to reduce the amount of water a home uses, but it does take some plumbing skills or a sense of DIY.
- Capturing rainwater with rain barrels, or other rainwater-harvesting techniques, is another great way to minimize water needs. Since all the rain that falls on your property is yours, don’t let it go to waste.
