In Southern California, water restrictions are in place to help conserve water. As a reminder, homeowners are only allowed to water their landscaping three times a week for a maximum of ten minutes per watering.
- Limit landscape irrigation to 3 assigned days per week
- Odd-numbered addresses can irrigate on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays
- Even-numbered addresses can irrigate on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays
- Limit landscape irrigation to no more than 10 minutes per water station per assigned day
There are still things that you can do to help you save water and money, while keeping your landscaping as green as possible. The best times to water is between 4 AM and 6:30 AM. If you water during the day it is like pouring gasoline on your lawn because the sun will burn it out. Also, consider staking holes in your lawn or aerating twice a year to loosen up the soil which helps get water and nutrients down into the roots. If you don’t aerate the soil then the water has a tendency to either run right off of the lawn or stay on top and when the sun comes out it will burn the lawn.
A home’s irrigation system can often be the biggest water waster. Check for leaks and watch it in action to make sure that it is hitting your lawn and not going elsewhere. Install a smart timer to monitor water usage and replace old sprinkler heads with new ones that control the amount of water that comes out.
Soaker hoses can also be placed in planters and other hard to reach places. Using such techniques will get you much better results because you are watering a lot less and the water is getting right to where it is needed.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California through their ‘bewaterwise.com’ website offers a wide range of rebates for various products that can help conserve water. This includes
- High-efficiency clothes washers
- High-efficiency toilets
- Weather based irrigation controllers
- Soil moisture sensor systems
- Rotating sprinkler nozzles
- Rain barrels and cisterns
Please check out these rebates at bewaterwise.com