Some 30% of potable water in our country is used for yard irrigation. With the growing frequency of droughts and shortages of drinking water this is no longer sustainable. Our exotic lawn grasses are not suitable for our climate and often require extra water. The easiest solution is to cut back on our lawns and replace them with native, more drought resistant grasses or plantings.

If you cannot cut back on your lawn, because you rent your house, for example, please do the following:

– Irrigate less frequently but longer. This will establish a deeper more resilient root system and enable better drainage.

– Use underground drip irrrigation and avoid spray systems. Sprayers lose a lot of water due to evaporation.

– Mow at the highest recommended height for your turf species. This is usually 4″. This increases storage surface in the leaves, creates more shade on the soil, which helps reduce evaporation, and supports deeper root growth.

– Never fertilize during drought. Fertilizing encourages grass to put its energy into growing shoots, making it more vulnerable to the drought, rather than in developing good roots.