US Women Magazine August 2014 Vol 1 Issue 1 | Page 31

Home & Garden

Judge Irrigation Needs
in the Morning – the sun

are you will be soon. All you have to do is drive
past an area lake to see how low they are to get a
real world picture of how dire the water situation in
Texas is. Other areas like parts of California, Arizona, and New Mexico have dealt with these issues on
a longer basis than we have and we can look to them
for many ideas on how to conserve water. Here are
some tips you can incorporate into your daily home
routine now.

Mulch – Again I cannot stress this enough and experts agree. Mulch, mulch, mulch all planted areas.

Proper Irrigation – Sprinkler systems are great.

However, most people set them to come on and leave
them. Observe how and where they spray. How long
they spray in each area. What type of head is in use?
Check for any leaks, for over spray onto concrete
areas. Make repairs and adjustments where needed. Also
observes your county, city or towns restrictions. They
may only allow for sprinklers on certain days. Remember to turn systems off when you have rain.

from noon on can be brutal
and can affect plants regardless
of how moist the soil is. When
the sun sets or cloud cover appears plants often bounce back
quickly. So use a screw driver
to check for moisture levels
in the morning. Don’t jump
to the conclusion that a heat
stressed plant needs water, it
may be find as soon as the sun
goes down. Always water before
10:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. use
hand watering or soaker hoses
to reduce sprinkler use.

Mow at higher settings.
Fertilize – don’t do it. During times of drought
plants normally slow their growth.

Aerate – Aeration in early spring will give back

important nutrients to your lawn and encourage
healthy root growth. After aeration cover your lawn
area with compost material to ensure for a healthy
lawn that will need less water to thrive.
Taking a step inside your home here are a few more
water conserving methods to implement.

Check your faucets – again making sure every-

thing is in good working order and not leaking is
important. Check the toilets to make sure they don’t
constantly run. Look for dripping faucets and or
leaks under cabinets. Fix and repair any issues.

Water Saving Fixtures – install water saving