OK, I’ll admit it. I don’t want a dirty car or a brown lawn.
Call me irresponsible, but I refuse to accept the drought-induced mantra that brown is the new green.
As a Realtor, I know that a healthy, maintained landscape adds value to your home and neighborhood appeal. And most of us want to enjoy the Southern California lifestyle in our outdoor spaces. That’s why we live here!
But there are ways to respect the need to conserve water and still maintain attractive landscape.
We need to be accountable for every drop, and a more scientific approach to sprinklers can help save water and keep your flora looking fine.
Check out MWD
While searching online for direction on how many days and how long sprinklers should run to keep lawns and shrubs healthy, I discovered a website with a precision approach to watering. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California offers tips on how you can use your sprinkler system more efficiently at www. bewaterwise.com.
The site has a “Watering Calculator” that creates a customized watering schedule based on zip code, types of plants, soil type and watering system. Most homeowners overwater by not paying attention to landscape needs.
The “Watering Index” on the website is an estimate that can help you decide how long to water your plants according to changes in the weather and during different times of the year. Fine-tune your water use by paying attention to the health of your landscape.
Use water wisely
Common signs of plant stress are droopy leaves, a grayish blue tinge to your grass or grass that stays flat after being stepped on.
If your landscape looks healthy, you may be able to reduce water use systematically until you reach the tipping point where the plants begin to show signs of stress. Then increase or decrease as the weather dictates.
In addition to having a good watering schedule and adjusting it as the Watering Index changes, the MWD recommends to periodically (at least monthly) turn on each ir-rigation valve to see how it is working.
Look for sprinklers that are not popping up properly, shrubbery or grass that is interfering with the watering pattern, broken or clogged nozzles, or sprinklers that are spraying sidewalks and driveways.
If your water pressure is high, use pressure regulation devices to bring the sprinkler operating pressure down to the optimal pressure range specified by the manufacturer. Pressure that is too high causes the water exiting the sprinkler to turn to mist which can be blown away by even a gentle breeze.
Always water in the early morning hours when the air is still. Do not water in the afternoon, or much of your water will be lost to evaporation by the sun. And watch for wasteful run-off. Get familiar enough with your automatic sprinkler timer so that you can program the most efficient watering schedule for each month of the year. Don’t just set it and forget it.
— Adriana Donofrio Podley Properties Glendora 626 914-2904 adrianad@podley.com
