Building Green Homes

     Almost 50% of the water used to water lawns and gardens is not even absorbed by the plants.  Overwatering, wind, evaporation, and runoff account for this loss of water.  Smart irrigation provides just enough water to keep a healthy garden and lawn.  Not only does smart irrigation conserve our precious water resources, but it also helps protect against weed growth, disease, and fungus.  Overwatering landscapes can also increases the trickling of fertilizers into groundwater, which can cause health hazards.

 

Manual Watering:

     Watering lawns and gardens manually with a hand held hose is the most water efficient practice.  Homeowners who manually water their landscapes use 33% less water outdoors than homeowners who use an automatic system.  When manually watering avoid using hoses and sprinklers that produce a mist or fine spray to decrease water loss due to wind and evaporation.  A soaker hose is extremely efficient when it comes to manual watering.  Another tool that can be helpful when watering manually is a handheld soil moisture probe.  A handheld soil moisture probe is composed of multiple soil moisture sensors that can detect water content in soil, which allows the user to determine when watering is necessary and when it is not. 

 

Automatic Watering:

     Automatic watering systems use more water than manual watering.  Irrigation systems with automatic timers use 47% more water, in-ground sprinkler systems use 35% more water, and drip irrigation uses 16% more water than manual watering practices.  Drip irrigation systems are the most water efficient of the automated systems since they deliver water directly to the plants’ roots avoiding much evaporation, wind, and runoff water loss.  Both drip irrigation and in-ground sprinkling systems must be programed and maintained correctly in order to achieve the best water conservation possible.  Rain and soil moisture sensors are great tools to add on to a system to prevent watering right after rainfall and when soil moisture levels are suitable.  Although sensors and controllers can help to make automatic watering systems more efficient, the most important aspect is programming them correctly and changing the settings when the seasons change.  During the spring and fall months, automatic irrigation systems should be adjusted down.  Many homeowners over water their landscapes in the cooler months because systems are set solely for the summer months.   [1]

[1] EPA, "Conserving Water", Accessed 15 Nov. 2014