14 Ways to Conserve Water in the Garden
As record drought grips the western US, yards and gardens everywhere are suffering. Mine included. While lawns are the first to show signs of stress, I’m much more concerned about the long term impacts that this drought will have on the fresh water table and the health of trees, perennials, and the topsoil which are key components to a healthy ecosystem. Water is a valuable and increasingly limited resource. Too often we apply water inefficiently in the garden, either due to sprinkler system design flaws, inappropriate landscape design for our climate, or because we run our garden irrigation system too long. If we’re striving for the greenest grass in the neighborhood, we’re actively and irresponsibly harming the environment. One negative impact of over watering in the landscape is that our plants become dependent on high water levels, easily develop diseases, become weak and unable to tolerate the slightest drought conditions. That’s exactly where we find ourselves here in the West - record devastating drought and wasteful landscapes.
Furthermore, excess water that doesn’t get taken up by our landscape either evaporates in extreme heat or drains into the earth's groundwater system and becomes inaccessible. With only 1% of the planet’s water being consumable freshwater, overwatering our landscape is gravely wasteful. I cannot underscore enough that as our planet continues to warm and endure extreme conditions, water-wise farming and gardening is essential. The truth is that we often don’t need to water our yards and gardens as much as we think, we just need to implement water-wise gardening methods. Here are some ideas to help you conserve water in the garden.
Water Before 10 a.m. and After 6 p.m.
Water evaporates quickly when daytime temperatures peak. Sticking to this timeline ensures that water has maximum effect and less goes to waste. If temperatures reach into the 90’s before 10 am, then it’s best to water during the coolest times in the middle of the night.
2. Repair Sprinkler and Hose Breaks
If you have sprinklers, reach out to your local water municipal district and request for them to make sure your irrigation system is working efficiently and doesn’t have any hidden line breaks or leaky cracks. It's a good rule of thumb to check drip line hoses and manual watering hoses regularly throughout the season. If they’re continually exposed to the elements they will break quicker than if they are covered by the shade of a plant, stored in the shed, or buried under mulch. Sprinkler and hose leaks are one of the most common ways water is wasted unknowingly.
3. Group Plants with Similar Watering Needs
Many plants require different amounts of water in order to thrive. Plant groupings that require similar amounts of water are known as hydrozones. Lawns require more frequent watering, whereas trees and shrubs require deep watering less frequently. Since lawns use the most water, it is suggested to only plant it where it has a practical function and covers a small area. Xeriscaping, or using local stones and strictly native plants is another way to cut down on water usage but still achieve an attractive yard and garden.
Likewise, in your vegetable garden, plant the heavy drinking vegetables that produce a bulb, edible root, or fruit in a similar area where you can isolate your heavy watering. Then, plant your edible perennial herbs that require less water in another area altogether. Mulching your annual and perennial vegetable gardens will help retain moisture in the soil and reduce the need to water.
4. Plant Native Water-Wise Varieties
When choosing plants for your yard and garden, look for native varieties. Trees and plants that are “native” are adapted to thrive in your natural precipitation climate and need much less supplemental watering, if any at all. It is entirely possible to cultivate a stunning landscape full of native water-wise trees, shrubs, perennials, and edible plants. Plants like this that are well adapted to the native ecosystem, are very good for the ecosystem during times of drought. I’ve recently been gathering inspiration for my water-wise landscaping projects from High Country Gardens Plant Nursery and the book: Planting the Natural Garden by Piet Oudolf & Henk Gerritsen.
Furthermore, selecting native plants will help your garden be in alignment with your natural ecosystem. For example, tropical and subtropical plants have no business growing in increasingly dry and hot climates because they require a significant amount of water to survive. One of the most impactful ways to conserve water in the garden includes actively seeking out native perennial plants for your landscape.
5. Consider the Natural Landscape and Climate
Water always runs downhill, so if your garden is on a sloped area, plant heavy drinking plants at the bottom of the slope where more water will ultimately travel. Just be sure not to create a garden bed where water is likely to flood or pool for more than a day at a time. That could drown your plants or create soil-borne diseases. Plants that require minimal watering will do well at the top of the slope. This method will allow you to minimize your overall watering needs and allow your plants to thrive on your climate’s natural rainfall patterns.
If you live in a climate with high precipitation, you likely don’t need to water your garden often, if at all, because you can rely on rainwater. Even if you live in a desert, many vegetable garden plants can go without water for 3-10 days depending on how long they’ve been established, sufficient mulching, and soil type.
6. Don’t Water Every Day
Many plants don’t need to be watered every day. Plants thrive when the soil is allowed to dry slightly in between waterings. This allows plants to take up oxygen in the soil through their roots. In fact, many plant’s roots will suffocate and rot if the soil remains saturated for too long.
If you have a lawn, water sparingly. By watering every 3 days for 20 minutes or longer, the water soaks deeper into the soil forcing the roots to grow downward and ultimately be stronger and more resistant to dry spells. Watering lawns too frequently weakens the grass roots, making it more likely to develop brown spots during hot spells. This can easily turn into a vicious cycle of wasting water. By watering less frequently, not only will your garden be healthier, but it will also be less susceptible to drought. Vegetable gardens should be watered every 3-10 days depending on natural precipitation patterns.
7. Prioritize Watering Key Plants
In times of drought, it's important to know which plants to prioritize. Turf grass lawns are the most wasteful plants we grow, whereas trees and perennial shrubs are important ecosystem providers. Water your landscape in this order of importance: trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and lastly (if at all), lawns.
8. Raise the Lawn Mower Blade
During the sweltering summer months mow your lawn between 2-3 inches in height. The longer grass blades shade one another and the roots grow deeper reducing watering needs. As a result, the grass becomes more resistant to drought and heat which is a necessity in the heat of summer.
Likewise with flowers, and shrubs, allowing them to grow a bit wild and shade the ground will help the soil retain more water. Planting more trees will also create more shade as the trees grow overtime, further minimizing your need to water.
9. Weed and Mulch More
Start the season right by weeding vigorously. Cover all exposed soil with a layer of mulch to prevent weeds and to retain moisture in the soil. Organic mulches such as straw and wood chips are preferred since they retain moisture and add nutrients to the plants. For the lawn, grass clippings make excellent mulch and come free with each mow. During times of drought the grass clippings wont harbor diseases or pests, and it can always be raked up before precipitation increases.
10. Use Drip Line Irrigation
A significant amount of water can be lost into the atmosphere through evaporation with overhead sprinklers. I recommend installing a drip line irrigation hose in your edible garden and all flower beds. Little nozzles can easily be attached so water reaches each plant specifically and does not become wasted on the soil or grass in between plants. Because the hose is either on top of the soil, or under mulch, little to no water is lost in the atmosphere when the water is running.
11. Harvest Rain-water
Investing in a rain-water harvesting bin is a wise sustainable gardening strategy. By placing large bins at the base of your home’s gutter runoff, you can collect rain-water, then use that to water the plants in your garden. Many harvesting bins have an attachment and valve for a hose so you can easily circulate the water through-out your garden beds, or attach it to a drip line irrigation system.
12. Add Compost to the soil
Organic matter helps soil retain moisture longer and is a very effective way of reducing supplemental watering needs in the garden. Additionally it helps add and retain soil nutrients which is beneficial for plants. Organic matter, such as compost, should be added to garden beds every season, ideally in the Autumn.
13. Reduce Lawn Size and Increase Beds for Native Perennials
A wise landscaping plan is to reduce your turf grass lawn size as much as possible. Lawns require a significant amount of water to maintain the desired green aesthetic, oftentimes upwards of 4K-5K gallons of water per year, depending on the grass variety. That number just makes my eco-heart and wallet cringe. Native perennial planting beds require a fraction of the water, especially when mulched and irrigated with a drip line.
14. Replace Lawn with a Water-Wise Turf Grass or Lawn Alternative
If you don’t want to decrease the size of your lawn, then consider replacing your turf grass variety to a water-wise grass. While Kentucky Blue Grass is a common lawn seed variety that produces a lovely deep green look, it’s extremely water-wasteful. It requires around 30 inches (4,298 gallons) of water annually, in dry climates that’s simply irresponsible landscaping. Instead, opt for a grass variety like Blue Grama or Buffalo Grass. Both look just like regular lawns but cast a slightly blue-green color and require only 15 inches (1,842) of water annually. Alternative lawns are becoming more and more popular, too. Clover, yarrow, creeping thyme, and low growing wildflowers are excellent options for lawn alternatives that can be mowed and use significantly less water than turf grass.
Which water conservation method(s) can you implement in your yard and garden?
