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Water deeply, but infrequently
Most plants do best if the soil is allowed to partially dry out between waterings. In lawns, a loss of shine or footprints staying in the lawn because it's drooping indicate that it's time to water. Vegetables and other annuals should be watered at the first sign of droop, but tougher perennials (plants that live several years) only need water if they stay droopy after it cools off in the evening. Trees and shrubs usually don't need any watering, once their roots are fully established (one to three years).
Make sure you're reaching the roots
Moisten the whole root zone. Watering deeply builds deeper, healthier root systems. To see if you are watering deep enough to moisten the whole root zone, dig in with a trowel after watering to check the depth.
Make every drop count
Some easy ways to lower water bills and get more water to plants include:
- Build your soil with compost and mulch, to hold water and prevent evaporation
- Choose low water use plants - they can often thrive just on rainfall, once established
- Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation on beds - they save 50% or more compared with sprinklers
- Use a timer that screws onto the hose end (available at garden stores) to water just the right amount
- Water lawns separately from other plantings. Make sure sprinklers aren't watering the pavement too
- When soil is dry or compacted it won't absorb water quickly. If water puddles, stop watering a while and then restart, so the water has time to penetrate
- Water in the early morning or evening - if you water at mid-day half the water just evaporates
- Rain barrel info and sources for the Pacific Northwest (King County Water and Land Resources Division)
Use automatic irrigation systems efficiently
Automatic systems can actually waste lots of water, or be fairly efficient, depending on how you set and maintain them
- Have a professional test, repair and adjust your system annually
- Inspect the system while operating once a month - look for leaks, or heads that are plugged or misdirected
- Install a rain shutoff device (ask your irrigation expert where to find them)
- Adjust watering schedule at least once a month through the season - plants need a lot less water in May and September than they do in July and August
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