Automatic Sprinklers  Drip Irrigation  Hand Watering  Sprinkler Runoff  Watering Lawns

 

Watering & Conservation Guide

As the North Central Texas region continues to grow, having enough water to meet our demands will become a major issue. Many local governments have imposed voluntary or mandatory restrictions on outdoor water use to encourage water conservation throughout the region. One of the principles of SmartScape is to promote native and adapted plants for this region that require less water. Native and adapted plants use 80% less water and tolerate our heat! Learn more about choosing plants in the Garden Tool Box section to find drought tolerant plants.

While it is important for you to select plants, trees and grasses that have lower water requirements, you also need to know how to water the landscape for conservation purposes. Here are some simple tips that can help you conserve water this season.

First, know if your community has water restrictions in place. Remember the water you use to irrigate your landscape is also your family's drinking water supply.

• Check with your local water utility about any voluntary or mandatory measures in place. Each city in our region sets its own individual water conservation plan, so visit your city's web site or call your water utility to learn what specific restrictions apply to your city.
• Know the stages of drought and follow any advisories set by your community:
  • Stage 1 - slight drought
  • Stage 2 - moderate drought
  • Stage 3 - severe drought

How to water efficiently and effectively

• Develop deep roots. Deep, infrequent watering helps plants thrive.
• Deep infrequent watering creates deep roots, which helps plant to absorb water from the deeper soil over a longer period of time. This approach also reduces disease, helps insure good air movement down to the root system, and conserves water.
• Water lawns slowly, allowing water to reach a depth of 6 inches.
• Avoid shallow frequent watering, which creates short roots. As water evaporates from the soil surface, short rooted plants and lawns will need water more often.
• Measure how much water you’re placing on the lawn to ensure you aren't watering too much! Use a tuna can or something similar and time how long it takes for one inch of water to fill the can.
• Avoid runoff by adjusting watering duration, volume of spray heads or direction of sprinkler/spray heads. (Learn more about runoff)

When to water makes a difference

• 50% of your irrigation can be lost to evaporation. Whenever possible, water between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m.; early morning is best to avoid evaporation. Your city may have a specific watering time restriction, so check with them first.
• Water every 5 to 7 days in the summer and ever 15 to 20 in the winter, but pay close attention and follow any watering schedules that your community may have in place this summer.
• Don't water in the rain, that's just wasteful. Install a rain sensor on irrigation systems to prevent waste.

Tips for Lawns

• Know when your lawn needs water by careful observation, not simply because you have a set schedule or an automatic sprinkler system. Symptoms that indicate you may need to water your lawn include:
  • Grass leaves (blades) turn a dull, bluish color
  • Leaf blades of the grass begin rolling or folding
  • When you walk on the grass you leave foot prints for an extended period of time
• Maintain a deep, infrequent watering schedule. This approach is best for the overall health of the lawn. It allows your grass to develop deep root systems, reduces disease, helps insure good air movement down to the root system, and conserves water.
• St. Augustine grass usually needs water every 5-7 days. This promotes good root growth and should provide the amount of water the plants require.
• Bermuda grass can go 7-8 days between watering if maintained properly. (Learn more about lawn watering)

Tips for maintaining moisture

• If you plan to install new landscaping, prepare your beds now with plenty of mulch.
• Use at least 3" - 6" of organic mulch in all flower, shrub and garden bed areas to reduce watering frequency.
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn to help maintain moisture.
• Water trees separately by placing a soaker hose under the outer ring of branches and let the hose drip for several hours, as needed.
• Daily drip irrigation or hand watering may be needed for some containerized plants.

Watering methods

• A common method for new homes is the automatic sprinkler system.
  (Learn more about sprinklers)
• An efficient method is the drip irrigation system. It delivers almost 95% of the water to plants.
  (Learn more about drip irrigation)
• Another method is hose end or hand watering.
  (Learn more about hand watering)

To find out what specific water conservation measures apply in your city, first check your city's web site or call your water utility. Click on the links below to learn what our Regional Water Providers recommend for water conservation.

Dallas Water Utilities	Tarrant Regional Water District
Dallas County Park Cities Municipal Utility District	Trinity River Authority
Fort Worth Water	Upper Trinity Regional Water District
North Texas Municipal Water District