
Watering at certain times of the day and with different types of instruments can help you water more efficiently and save money.
Lawn Watering Tips
Reduce lawn watering –
- Most homeowners water their lawns too much.
- Reduce your total watering by as much as 50% – lawn will be healthier and just as lush and green.
- This may mean skipping one lawn watering each week.
- Never restart the entire automatic watering cycle to water a dry patch – select the appropriate station and run manually.
- Water in the early morning to reduce evaporation.
- Water between the hours of 6:00 – 10:00 a.m.
- This will cut evaporation, saving you money and conserving water.
- Adjust timers on automatic sprinklers
- Most sprinklers are programmed to water too often.
- Set your timer to water less frequently, but longer for a deep watering.
- This encourages deeper root growth which means stronger, healthier grass.
- Water until right before you start to see run off.
- If plants show signs of stress such as wilting or yellowing add another watering to your schedule.
- Adjust watering as weather changes
- Turn off automatic sprinklers during rainy periods.
- Use a rain gauge to know how much water your lawn gets each week and adjust sprinklers for supplemental watering if needed.
- Adjust timing and frequency of sprinklers seasonally – lawns need less water in cool seasons.
- Watering Tips for the Garden
- Water in the early morning to reduce evaporation – same as your lawn!
- Water between the hours of 6:00 – 10:00 a.m.
- This will reduce water lost to evaporation, saving you money and conserving water.
- Avoid watering at night which encourages fungus.
- Switch from overhead sprinklers to soaker hoses
- Soaker hoses conserve water by dripping water right to the roots of the plant.
- Snake the soaker hose throughout the garden placing it about a foot away from the base of shrubs.

Add mulch to your garden-
- Mulch helps insulate the ground and conserves water so you have to water less frequently
- Use water wands with a trigger
- When watering container gardens, hanging baskets or other small areas use a water wand with a trigger.
- Allows you to water only the plants and not the pavement or ground between plants.
- Make sure to water each plant thoroughly so water penetrates to the root system.
- Aim the trigger at the base of the plant and water the soil, not the foliage (overhead watering can cause fungus).
- Give potted plants a little extra help
- In hot, dry seasons potted plants can dry out quickly – they may even need daily waterings.
- Use a water globe to help keep the soil consistently watered.
- Add water-absorbing granules in potting soil to hold water and release it slowly as needed.
- Use these products with houseplants, too, to keep indoor plants hydrated when away on vacation.
- Add water-absorbing granules in potting soil to hold water and release it slowly as needed.
- Use these products with houseplants, too, to keep indoor plants hydrated when away on vacation.

