Okay, so we are experiencing a
drought. Our rainy season is not over so there is still some hope, but either
way we should be doing all that we can to conserve water. It is precious. I
want to propose that we can easily save 30 to 50% on our water usage and still
have a green healthy lawn and landscape. I know some of you have made up your
mind that you are just going to let the lawn go dry which is a big mistake for
countless reasons. (Cost to replace, loss of benefits of turf such as cooling,
filtering, noise abatement, home value, aesthetics). It should not be all or
nothing. There are great solutions below.
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| Damaged riser |
First I would start with the
sprinklers. Today there are much more efficient heads that will in themselves
save 20-30% by providing more uniform coverage and a slower precipitation rate
greatly reducing runoff. Toro and Hunter offer some really good upgrades to
your old and inefficient heads. Along with this we always recommend regularly
checking your system for leaks, coverage, plugged nozzles and the like which
offers additional water savings.
Secondly I would replace or
enhance the traditional sprinkler control box to make it a “smarter” clock. There
are smart clocks with a weather station or with satellite input that can
self-adjust to the weather outside and adjust daily to the needs of the
landscape. A cheaper alternative is adding a device that feeds a normal
controller historical data and adjusts daily and seasonally so you are not
watering the same day after day throughout the spring, summer, and fall
regardless of the demand. These steps can easily save 30% or more, too.
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| Irritrol Climate Logic |
Finally I would strongly consider
the use of quality long-term soil surfactants in the landscape. They will
increase the water use efficiency 30% or more by improving water movement into
the soil and distribution in the profile. Runoff will be greatly reduced and
the soil’s ability to hold more water will significantly increase as well. Assuming
there is adequate coverage, localized dry spots will disappear and the plants
will find more water throughout the root zone. One treatment can enhance water
management up to 4 months. Imagine saving 20-50% on your water bill and doing
your part in water conservation and still having a great lawn and healthy
plants!
Water is indeed very precious and
so is your outdoor landscape. Taking on one, two, or all three of these steps
will save water and your investment.
If you have any questions about conserving
water please call Weed Man at 559-266-1624, Aqua Man Irrigation Solutions at 559-475-7777, visit our website at Fresno.WeedManUSA.com
or visit us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FresnoWeedMan.
