Conservation while Watering the Lawn

Have you ever noticed just how much your water bill spikes after you have started watering the lawn? This is basically due to the fact that watering the lawn requires a lot of water. If you are interested in conservation while watering the lawn then you need to sit down and think a few things through. Here are a few methods that you can use to get you started on conservation while watering the lawn.

• Only when necessary. One of the leading causes of lawn damage, as well as higher water bills, is watering more than necessary. On the average, you will only need to provide about one inch of water to your lawn every week. The trick to this is to get that water down to a depth of about five inches. Depending on the makeup of your soil, as well as the weather you are receiving, you may need to water more than one inch a week.
• Keep an eye on the weather. To continue the theme of watering only when necessary, you really should keep an eye on the weather. The reason for this is that you should not water your lawn within a day or two of it raining. Furthermore, if you received one inch of water due to the rain, you can skip watering your lawn for that week. Keep track of the water that you receive during the rainstorm, so that you can know how much additional water you will need to provide during your weekly watering. For example, if you receive a 1/4 inch of rain, you will only need to provide 3/4 inch of additional water.
• Choose the best times. Despite what many people may think, the time of the day that you water your lawn really does matter. If you water during the day, the combination of sun and water can actually damage the lawn. The reason for this is that the water can act like little magnifying glasses, which will focus the rays of the sun and "burn" the grass. The best times to water your lawn are going to be either early in the morning, just prior to sunrise, or in the early evening, right around dusk.
• Water the lawn only. Set your water pressure, and the direction of your sprinklers, so that it hits the grass only. The more water you have hit the sidewalk or driveway, the more water you have going to waste.
• Mow the lawn correctly. Something that can have an impact on how you conserve water while watering the lawn is how you mow the lawn. Do not mow the lawn to a height that is shorter than two inches. The reason for this is that grass that is at least two inches in length can help provide shade to the roots, which means that the water doesn't evaporate as quickly, which means less water used.

There are plenty of other methods that you can also use to conserve water while you are watering the lawn than what are listed here. In fact, there are so many out there that you could easily write a book on just that subject. Don't be afraid to try out a few other methods if you want to cut back on your water usage even more.