How to Water Your Lawn During a Drought

How Can I Conserve Water on my Lawn?

Perform a lawn check-up. Take some time to investigate your lawn and irrigation systems. It’s far too easy to waste water on a lawn that isn’t designed to conserve water. There are a few steps you can take to optimize your lawn’s water usage:

• Check all irrigation piping for leaks and repair them
• Ensure irrigation heads and bubblers are working properly
• Look at drainage patterns to be sure you aren’t losing water
• Reinforce any tree wells to maximize water usage

Mulch

Mulch is a material spread over the surface of your yard. It can be made of compost, bark chips, shredded leaves, or compost.

When spread over your lawn or into tree wells, mulch can have many benefits:

• Slows water evaporation from the top level of soil
• Discourages the spread of weeds
• Prevents compacting of soil into infertile, hard, and moisture-blocking dirt

For drought-friendly lawn tending, the first point is the most important. Keeping water in the soil for as long as possible ensures your lawn will get the most out of your watering.

Irrigate by Hand

Disabling your automatic irrigation system might be a pain, but it will allow you to control the watering of your lawn more carefully. Conserving water with an automatic system requires a great deal of planning and thought.

Instead, try hand-watering with a hose. That way, you’ll know exactly how much water is ending up on your grass. It also allows for easier coordination with rainstorms; if your lawn just got a nice shower, you’ll know not to hose it down the same day.

Bring Out the Broom

Many folks use hoses to spray down their sidewalks, garage floors, and driveways. While that might be an effective way to keep the concrete clean, it can also be a huge waste of water.

You might want to break out a broom instead. This saves the water that would otherwise end up flowing down the street.

If you’re dealing with troublesome driveway stains that can’t be swept away – oil, or other car fluids – try placing cat litter underneath the vehicles. Once the liquid is absorbed, it can be easily disposed of without using precious water.

Work Around the Weather

As you water your lawn, be conscious of the sun cycle. Watering your lawn during the heat of the day will ensure the water will be evaporated the fastest.

If you water in the mornings or evenings, the water you use will stay in the soil much longer, nourishing your lawn for the longest amount of time.

Also, if it’s a cloudy day, you may want to wait before you water. If a storm blows in, you might be able to avoid wasting water.

If you just can’t keep your lawn intact through a drought and are looking for a hearty replacement, call us at The Grass Outlet. We’d love to provide you with a strong lawn, whether you’re in Austin, Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio.