8 WAYS TO CONSERVE WATER
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power offers eight tips on conserving water used on lawns and gardens--which represents almost half of the total amount of water used by residential customers.
* Get to know how plants signal for water. Lawns tend to lie flat after being stepped on if moisture is low. Some plants lose their gloss and start to droop a little. The time to water is when the plants need it; rigid watering schedules waste water.
* Train your plants to develop deep roots by watering thoroughly but infrequently. Watering every day creates shallow roots, which do not allow plants to use moisture deep in the ground.
* Avoid watering on windy days or midday, when evaporation is high. Water early in the morning. Evening is second best, but then fungus has all night to attack moist foilage.
* Use a kitchen timer as a reminder to turn the sprinklers off.
* Adjust sprinklers to water plants only--not the sidewalk, driveway, patio or street. Make sure that the coverage is even, so you don’t have to drown one area in order to get enough water on another.
* Sweep pavement and rake leaves rather than using the hose to clean up debris, dirt and leaves.
* Use several inches of mulch material around plants. This saves water, discourages weed growth and looks attractive.
* Make an earth basing around shrubs and small trees.
Source: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
