According to the United Nations, over the next twenty years the supply of fresh water per-person will decline by 1/3!

Not to put too fine a point on it, but – we are running out of water. The math is simple; a limited supply, coupled with growing demand, is putting increased stress on global water sources. You may note this growing shortage as ever increasing water rates, or as restrictions placed on your use of water for non-essential purposes. However it is manifest there is one thing we all need to understand; water conservation is a vitally important issue for everyone. The following practices are easy to implement and will turn your yard into a wonderful, water-saving, space that you can enjoy, and feel good about.

One of the best things you can do, and this might seem counter-intuitive, is to install an automatic irrigation system in your yard if you don’t have one. Hand watering, and hose-end sprinkler watering is very inefficient. Not only is it imprecise in its coverage, but, generally you end up watering at the worst possible times of day, wasting up to half of the water applied, either through run-off, or evaporation. Automatic irrigation systems are designed for precision and efficiency, so the water you apply gets used, not lost down a storm drain.

A Gallon here, a gallon there…
Having an automatic irrigation system is a great start, but you also need to know how to use it, and that means understanding the plants you are using it on, as well as, the area you are using it in.

Make sure your system is properly set up and maintained. One big water waster is having poorly adjusted spray patterns, so pay attention to where the water is going. It is possible for the alignment of sprinklers to shift over time, or get knocked off target - check them at least once a year.

•	It is essential that your sprinklers be laid out with proper head-to-head coverage. This means that the spray from each sprinkler in a zone just reaches the sprinkler heads adjacent to it. Without head-to-head coverage you cannot create an even water pattern, and that means uneven, wasteful watering.
•	Check that you are not spraying water on the driveway, or walk ways.
•	Be sure all the heads are perpendicular to the ground beneath them. Sprinklers that are not upright will not throw an even pattern, and that means gallons of wasted water.

Over-watering is one of the worst water wasters. It causes run-off and can damage your plants. Some methods used to determine the correct amount of water to apply require a detailed understanding of plant physiology and local geology. However, there are two simple methods to use that are within reach of us mere mortals.

To determine how long you can water a zone, manually activate the zone. Then, time how long it takes for runoff, or saturation to appear. Do this a few times on different days, then set that zone to water for slightly less time than the average of all the readings you made. This is the maximum you should water at one time. If your plants need more water than this allows use the multiple start times feature on your timer. This lets the water soak in before additional water is applied.

Another real-world technique is known as the “feel test.” As the name implies, it means getting intimate with your dirt. First, dig a hole about 8 inches deep at the spot you want to test. Next, pick up a handful of dirt and give it a squeeze.

•	In sandy loam soil, if your handful just holds its shape, but has no water dripping from it, it has about 50-75 percent moisture content. This soil is not quite ready for water yet.
•	A crumbly clay loam that just holds together has less than 50 percent of its field capacity and is ready to water. The rule of thumb is to water when the soil is about half depleted of water. A less dirty alternative is to buy a soil moisture meter. This will tell you the exact amount of water in your soil and not mess up your fingernails. But, what fun is that?

Different plant types also have different water needs. The following pointers will help you care for your plants better and save water too.

Trees

•	Cut turf back at least one foot from the trunks of trees. Watering the trunks wastes water and promotes rot on the tree trunk.
•	Create catch basins around trees, especially those on slopes. This minimizes runoff and allows water the time needed get down in to the roots.
•	Water trees separately from surrounding plant areas. Trees like long, slow watering. Mature trees generally need to be watered to a depth of 24 inches.

Lawns

•	Be sure to de-thatch your lawn if it is more the about 1/2” thick and cut the grass no shorter than about 2”. This helps reduce evaporative water loss and increases drought resistance.
•	Use grass cycling – using a mulching mower, cut the grass when it is dry and leave it on the lawn. This reduces evaporation and adds nutrients.
•	Aerate your lawn yearly. It prevents soil compaction and greatly reduces run-off from the lawn.

Planting Beds

•	Use mulch! Two to four inches of mulch around your plants controls weeds and reduces evaporative loss, both of which save water.
•	Use plants that are native to your area. Plants from “wetter” environments waste tremendous amounts of water, and may pose a threat to the local environment.
•	Use drip irrigation in planting beds and pots whenever possible. Drip irrigation is the most efficient watering method available.

These suggestions are not intended to be a comprehensive look at the topic of water conservation, but rather, to get you started down the right road and to help you be mindful of water conservation issues in your yard. Further information is available from your local agricultural extension, or the library.