How to Save Water on Your Lawn this Summer

Now that it’s July at Wright Landscape Services, here’s what you can expect:

• Roasting hot temperatures.
• Endless days without rain.
• Dry, almost drought-like conditions.

Something else you can expect are watering restrictions.

It’s the ultimate catch-22.

On one hand, you want to be responsible with your water usage. On the other hand, you don’t want all the lawn care you’ve provided go for naught.

Is there a way to get the best of both worlds: Less water consumption without sacrificing the health and appearance of your grass?

Yes, there is.

Know your local watering schedule

According to the Region of Waterloo website:

• Homeowners can water their lawns one day a week.
• Gardens and planting pots can be watered every other day. Odd or even depending on your house number.
• Watering must take place between 5:30am-10:00am and 7pm-11pm.

To find your assigned watering day, take a look at the last digit of your house number:

• 0 or 1: Monday.
• 2 or 3: Tuesday.
• 4 or 5: Wednesday.
• 6 or 7: Thursday.
• 8 or 9: Friday.

You’ll note that Saturday and Sunday are not included in the watering schedule.

Be smart with your hose

The garden hose is an effective way to water your landscaping.

It’s also wildly inefficient once you realize:

• 4 billion litres of water gets used on gardens and lawns across Canada every day.
• 50% of hose water is wasted due to unnecessary watering and water landing on areas (like a natural stone walkway) which does not need it.
• Using the hose for one hour consumes an average of 137 litres of water.

Here are some ways to use less water when your watering day rolls around:

• Walk on your grass first: If it pops right back up, it doesn’t need watering at that time.
• Reduce your grass cutting a little: Long blades of grass can handle tough summer heat vs. shorter, cut grass.
• Remove debris from the nozzle: Stones or other things caught in the nozzle (or hose itself) will negatively compromise the water flow.
• Push a screwdriver into your lawn: If you can’t, that means your lawn is dry and thirsty. If you can, you can put the hose away.

Adjust your sprinkler or irrigation system

Although your sprinkler system is automated to activate at certain times and water certain areas, they can still waste a substantial amount of water.

Here’s how to mitigate that:

• Reposition them: Ensure the sprinkler heads are actually watering your lawn and not things like your walkways/front entrances or retaining walls.
• Schedule a tune-up: Do you remember the last time the piping system was cleaned? Is there dirt and debris clogging up the heads? Does your sprinkler system have a leak somewhere?
• Schedule them to activate in the morning or night: Refer to your local watering schedule. If your sprinklers turn on midday, change it. The cooler temperatures mean you’ll use less water.

More helpful tips

Of course, watering is a critical component of keeping your lawn healthy, green, and beautiful.

However, when it’s not your day to water, there are still some helpful things you can do for your grass:

• Keep grass clippings on the lawn: As they decompose, they’ll provide an extra source of nutrition for your grass.
• Put away the fertilizer (for now): Don’t fertilize at the height of a drought as it needs water to do anything
• Sharpen lawnmower blades: Dull lawnmower blades rip the grass instead of providing a clean cut. Torn grass burns out quicker.

Need help with your lawn? Contact Wright Landscape Services

Whether you want to fix dead patches in your lawn, or maintain its health and appearance throughout summer and into fall, our award-winning lawn care programs can deliver exactly what you need.

Let us know what you’re looking for or request a FREE quote. We’ll reply ASAP with the answers and information you require.