How much water your yard consumes and, ultimately, how much money you spend depends on several factors. Soil, grass type, the amount of sun are just a few.
Especially here in Austin where we have water restrictions, it’s important to brush up on some energy- and money-saving tips to get the best value output for your lawn and landscaping.
1. Soil
Adjust your irrigation to match your soil. Pay attention to how irrigation reacts to the soil in your yard. If puddles form while watering, your soil is rich in clay, which calls for more frequent, shorter irrigation cycles. Sandy soil, on the other hand, doesn’t hold water and requires more watering.
2. Sunlight
If the sun bakes the yard all day, this calls for more frequent watering, keeping in mind watering restrictions. Alternately, a shady lawn will be less thirsty. But even in the shade, grassy areas surrounding trees will require more water.
3. Observation
Overwatering a lawn or sprinklers raining down in the street or on the sidewalk is a problem not only because is it costing you money, it violates Austin water restrictions opening you to fines and trouble. You don’t want to have that happen. The most common sense water conservation and money-saving solution is to be observant of your irrigation patterns.
A small or medium-size lawn can be watered efficiently with a hose-end sprinkler. These are available in a variety of spraying patterns. If you easily forget to turn it off, set an alarm to remind you.
In-ground sprinklers with low-volume, low-angle heads are also optimal for efficient watering. You can adjust the angles of the irrigation heads to ensure the water soaks into the turf, rather than evaporating into thin air. If mist is rising from the heads, the pressure is too high.
Rotary nozzles service sloped areas or areas that need plenty of slow water delivery. They work well with low water pressure.
Smart irrigation timers make it possible to program your irrigation on a schedule that takes into account temperature, rainfall, and evaporation rates. However, timers need to be programmed to coincide with your water use restriction days and times.
For more helpful irrigation tips or for repair of your irrigation system, contact us at South Austin Irrigation at (512) 534-7449.
