| Water conservation is at the front of everyone's | | | | 7 Keep your grass longer |
| mind and whether you are trying to have shorter | | | | During the summer get into the habit of keeping |
| showers, or just wondering how to keep your | | | | your grass longer. All it takes is a simple |
| plants and lawn alive in the face of water | | | | adjustment of your mower blades and the extra |
| restrictions, here are some easy to implement | | | | height shelters the soil and helps your lawn retain |
| tips to help you conserve water outside of your | | | | moisture for longer. |
| home. | | | | 8 Don't water your lawn |
| 1 Water only your vegetables | | | | No watering your lawn will conserve a lot of |
| If you think about the water shortages and | | | | water, and there are varieties of lawn and even |
| climate change issues which plague not only | | | | synthetic options which require no water. |
| developed countries, but those which are | | | | 9 Use your dehumidifier water on outside plants |
| developing too, one of the most socially | | | | Your dehumidifier collects the water from the air |
| responsible things you can do to conserve water | | | | anyway, so instead of hooking it into your |
| is not to use it to water your lawn, but use it | | | | drainage system, take it outside for your plants. |
| instead to water your vegetables, which you will | | | | 10 Catch rainwater in buckets for your plants |
| eventually eat, and which have other positive | | | | It will cost you nothing to put out a few buckets |
| impacts like reducing pesticides and food miles. | | | | next time it rains - you can then distribute this to |
| 2 Don't leave the hose running | | | | your plants when they need it. |
| If you are washing your car, don't leave the hose | | | | 11 Catch rainwater to rinse fruit and vegetables |
| running unless you are pointing it at the vehicle. | | | | Collecting rainwater to rinse your fruit and veg in |
| Turn off the hose when you can, and when you | | | | before you use them will save you using tap |
| are away from the car. | | | | water. |
| 3 Water by hand not by sprinkler | | | | 12 Catch rainwater for your outdoor garden |
| While a sprinkler is a great time saving invention, it | | | | Use whatever you have at hand to collect |
| can be easy to over water your lawn with a | | | | rainwater for your garden and this could be as |
| sprinkler. Therefore, avoid excess water runoff | | | | simple as putting out empty ice cream containers |
| by watering your lawn by hand. | | | | to using water which collected in empty pots |
| 4 Check your sprinkler system | | | | outside, on your garden. |
| If you have an underground sprinkler system, it is | | | | 13 Catch rainwater for your indoor plants |
| not going to be more efficient if it's not working | | | | You can still conserve water when caring for your |
| properly. Therefore, when it comes to spring, | | | | indoor plants and although they don't need as |
| check there are no leaks and have it serviced if | | | | much water, you can still water them with |
| you are concerned or can't gauge, its | | | | collected rainwater rather than from the tap. |
| performance. | | | | 14 Catch multipurpose rainwater |
| 5 Water your garden between 8 pm and 8 am | | | | When you think about it, you use water for a lot |
| Watering your plants in the cool of the evening or | | | | of things each day, and you don't always need to |
| early morning allows them to retain more water | | | | run to the tap. Instead collect rainwater and use it |
| and soak it into their roots, before it evaporates | | | | for anything around your home - on your lawn, in |
| in the sun. | | | | a vase of flowers, in the dog's water bowl... |
| 6 Water your lawn between 8 pm and 8 am | | | | 15 Use less fertilizer on your lawn |
| Watering your lawn in the heat of the day and in | | | | Using fertilizer of course makes your lawn grow |
| direct sunlight will also evaporate the water too | | | | faster, and therefore because it is not doing as |
| quickly, so you might as well do a better job and | | | | much growing, it is likely to need less water to |
| take better care of your lawn in the morning or | | | | help it along. |
| evening, and use less water as you do it. | | | | |