The use of the North Texas Municipal Water District’s Water My Yard program can take the guesswork out of how much and how often to water your lawn. Use of the program conserves water while saving money for homeowners with sprinkler systems.
The high rainfall amounts in the spring eased watering restrictions, but the NTMWD hopes that the program will help prevent customers from returning to pre-drought watering habits. According to the NTMWD, even though residents are now allowed to water their lawns twice a week, many do not need to.
Information from the NTMWD indicates that more than 50 percent of landscape water is wasted because of overwatering, inefficient watering methods and damaged irrigation systems. A visit to www.watermyyard.org can help.
The Water My Yard program is a result of a partnership between NTMWD and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. It uses information from local weather stations including rainfall, temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and solar radiation, along with sprinkler information, to determine the lawn’s water needs.
First, enter your address to ensure that your area is eligible for the program. Then enter the type and manufacturer of your sprinkler system, along with the distance of sprinkler heads to find out how much and how long to water your yard based on weather conditions.
Automated recommendations and reminders are also available through emails or text messages.
Representatives from the NTMWD recently visited with attendees at the Healthy Living Expo, helped them register for the program and shared water-saving information.
A few more ways to decrease outdoor water usage include:
- Make use of water-saving, native plants such as Texas Sage and Indian Blanket along with Bermuda grass and Buffalo grass.
- Use three to six inches of high-quality mulch in flowerbeds, around trees and shrubs.
- Water thoroughly, only when needed.
- Use soaker hoses to water around trees. Apply water and fertilizer just inside and a little past the drip line, not at the trunk.
- Use soaker hoses to water foundation before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
- Limit outdoor watering with irrigation systems to two days per week and water then only if needed.
- Run your sprinklers in short cycles to allow the grass to absorb water and reduce runoff.
- Raise lawnmower blade and cut grass to a height of three inches to shade the soil, which reduces evaporation and allows roots to grow deeper.
- Check outside spigots, pipes and hoses for leaks and repair or replace as needed
More information is available at these links:
make sure you’re using it effectively and efficiently
Texas AgriLife Extension Service