Water smart: Keep your yard healthy without wasting precious drops in the heat - OregonLive

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Water consumption in the Portland metro area often doubles or triples in the summer because of outdoor use. How much of that is wasted through evaporation, runoff, overspray and overwatering? Up to 50 percent used on lawns, according to the Regional Water Providers Consortium.

No one wants to squander water or create runoff that impacts rivers and streams.

Water conservation feels more urgent than ever as Oregon has come out of an exceptionally dry spring to enter summer with more than 90% of the state considered to be in “severe drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

There are easy ways to cut down water use in a Goldilocks’ fashion – not too much and not too often – while keeping your landscape healthy and looking good.

Whether you water with a garden hose or a sophisticated irrigation system, adjust the amount of watering based on the soil moisture lost as the local weather changes from a rainstorm to a heat wave or strong, dry winds.

Sound complicated? It’s not.

Sign up to receive a free, personalized Weekly Watering Number from the Regional Water Providers Consortium at regionalh2o.org. A text or email will let you know the amount of water to give your plants.

Most established lawns only need about an inch of water per week; more during the peak of summer and less during spring and fall. (See how to measure the time it takes your sprinkler to water an inch.)

Shrubs and perennials will need about half as much water as a lawn, and vegetables need about 75% of the Weekly Watering Number.

>Email your outdoor water-saving tips to jeastman@oregonian.com

The Regional Water Providers Consortium, Oregon State University Extension Service horticulturists and other experts offer these tips to watering efficiently:

• Inspect your overall irrigation system for leaks, broken lines or blockage in the lines. A dripping spigot or small hole in a hose can waste hundreds of gallons of water each month.
• Know your plants’ needs. Young plants have shallow roots and need more water than established plants with deep roots.
• Be aware of how much sun and warmth plants get each day and pay attention to plant heat stress.
• Water thoroughly, but infrequently, perhaps twice a week. Water before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. when temperatures are cooler, the air is calmer and evaporation is at a minimum.
• Monitor your garden to determine watering needs often and address problems quickly with the least-toxic methods. Healthy plants need less water.
• Apply only the amount of water the soil can absorb. If runoff or puddling occurs, see if several shorter sessions allow the water to soak in. Clay soil retains water much more than sandy soil.
• Test that you have watered deeply enough by pushing a screwdriver or trowel into the soil. If it goes in easily, there is good moisture.
• Keep a garden well weeded; weeds compete with desired plants for water and nutrients.
• Well-amended soil holds water better. Water soaks into and drains through sandy soil about twice as fast as it does clay soil; it takes longer to water to a specified depth in clay soil. Loam soil consists of both clay and sandy soil, so water drainage lies between the two. For more information, read Improving Garden Soils with Organic Matter.
• Mulch around the base of plants will help keep the soil cool during hot weather and reduce evaporation, leaving more water in the soil for plant use. Mulch also helps keep weeds down and aids in erosion control. Inorganic mulches like gravel or small rocks are fire wise, unlike bark or wood chips.

It’s best if you have plants in the garden that are drought tolerant and do not require any applied irrigation. These include native plants and those that thrive in other semi-Mediterranean regions with a summer dry period.

Many drought-tolerate plants are also fire-resistant.

Amy Jo Detweiler, a horticulturist with Oregon State University Extension Service, suggests that before starting or changing your garden, watch the sun and shade exposure throughout the day, check soil drainage in various parts of the yard and determine if there are soggy or especially dry areas. In soggy areas, plan for a possible rain garden or bioswale.

Don’t leave hardscape out of the equation. Reduce wasted runoff water by using permeable materials, leaving space between flagstone in pathways or patios and reducing areas with hard surfaces.

More information is available from the OSU Extension Service publication, “Growing Your Own,” a practical guide to gardening for first-time gardeners.

Other OSU Extension publications to help with low-water gardening include Conserving Water in the Garden and infographics Keys to Water-Efficient Landscapes, It Pays to Water Wisely and Landscape Maintenance to Conserve Water.

Hand watering

Watering by hand allows you to target the soil under the plant and give it water in between scheduled times. Add a hose nozzle that lets you control the water flow.

Soak an area around a root ball and under the drip line of trees.

Spray plants down after watering in the morning to put surface moisture on leaves.

Collect bath or sink water while waiting for it to get hot to use in the garden.

Sprinklers

Select a sprinkler or irrigation system that sends large drops of water close to the ground rather than spraying a fine mist that will be lost to evaporation.

If using oscillating sprinklers, elevate them above the tallest plants so the water streams are not blocked and their patterns overlap. Runoff indicates you need to water at a slower rate.

Space out spray heads to maximize coverage and adjust them as plants grow.

Pop-up spray heads are often less efficient than rotor heads or drip systems because they put water down on the ground faster than a clay soil can absorb it.

Drip irrigation

Drip irrigation uses a lot less water than overhead spray devices and the ground tubing feeds water directly to the base of the plants at a rate the soil can absorb.

The pattern of soil wetting with drip irrigation is different for sandy and clay soils. In sandy soil, the water soaks straight in, wetting a narrow vertical band of soil. In clay soil, the water spreads more horizontally. Thus, drip emitters can be placed farther apart for clay soil than for sandy soil.

For more research-based information on drip irrigation, see Drip Irrigation: an introduction.

Soaker hoses, which sweat water, can be attached to solid hoses to deliver moisture in dense plantings or to individual plants.

Soil moisture sensors prevent irrigation systems from starting when the soil is sufficiently moist.

Rain sensors automatically shut off a sprinkler or irrigation system when rainfall reaches a preset amount, usually 1/4 inch.

Manual hose bib timers shut off sprinklers after a set time.

Use rain barrels or underground cisterns to capture rainfall to use in the garden during dry times. Read the OSU Extension’s publication Harvesting Rainwater for Use in the Garden.

— Compiled by Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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