Planting Seeds ofWisdom

(Water Wisdom)

Customer Service483-1382

Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, excluding holidays1-877-Our PWC1 • 24-Hour Emergency

Visit Us Online www.faypwc.com

WATER-WISEgardening

•Early morning is the most efficient time to water.

Whenyouwaterduring theheatof theday,water

evaporatesquickly. If youwater in theevening, the

moisturecancausefungustogrow.

•Water just long enough to give a good soaking; a

verylightwateringcanevaporatebeforeitsinksin.

•Ifwaterrunsoffyouryard(you’reonaslopeorhill,

for example), split your watering into two sessions,

waitingaboutanhourinbetween,sowaterhastimeto

soakin.

How Much?For efficient lawn watering, you want to be sure the

watersoaksdowntothedepthoftheroots.Needsvary,

dependingonyoursoilandtypeofgrass.Ingeneral,you

shouldwaternomorethanoneinchaweek(whichwill

soakdowntoabout6-10inches).

Todeterminehowlongtorunyourirrigationsystem,usea

smallcontainer(asaucer,cuportunacanwillwork)and

marka1/2”measurement.Putthecontainerunderyour

irrigationsystemandrunyoursystemuntilitisfilledtothe

1/2”mark.Notehowlongtheirrigationsystemranand

thensetthesystemtorunthatlongtwiceaweekduring

irrigationseason.Following thismethod,your lawnwill

beheathierthanwateringyourlawnalittleeveryday.

Think Wisely About WateringFinally,whenyoudoneedtowater,makesureit’sefficient

andeffective.Followingaresometipsandguidelinesfor

wisewatering.

SprinklersIf you have an automatic sprinkler system, be sure

it’s programmed correctly and adjusted for weather

conditions. You can install weather or soil moisture

sensors, which will “override” programming if watering

isn’tnecessary.

MakesureyoucomplywithPWC’sODD/EVENschedule.

Andremember,wateronlywhenneeded,notjustbecause

it’s “your day.” If you water according to water-wise

recommendations (see“HowMuch” sectionchart), you

probablyonlyneedtowateryourlawnonceaweek.

•Todetermine if your lawnneedswater, stepon it! If

youleaveafootprint(yourgrassdoesn’tspringback),

thenitneedswatering.

•Takecarethatsprinklersareplacedoraimedsothey

waterlawnsandgardens–notthedriveway,streetor

walkways.

Much of the information in this brochure provided by:The Water-Wise Landscaping & Watering Guide,

published by the organization Water Use It Wisely

www.wateruseitwisely.com

Think “Field Trip”Ifyouwanttoseewater-wisegardeninginaction,beautifully,visit PWC’s “At Home in Carolina” Water Wise Garden atCapeFearBotanicalGarden.

For more information on the Botanical Garden – includinglocationandhours–visitwww.capefearbg.orgorcall(910)486-0221. 03/08200013630

Other Watering ModesDrip IrrigationDripirrigationdevices/systems–availableinhardwareorhome

andgardenstores–aregreatforsmallyards,mulchedareas

(theywon’twashyourmulchaway)orforwateringindividual

plants.Dripirrigationsystemsarehighlyefficient,becausethe

watersinksintothegroundbeforeithasachancetoevaporate

orrunoff.Theycanapply1-4gallonsofwateranhourdirectly

intothesoil.

Hand WateringIfyou’reusing thesimple“gardenhose”method,besure to

useaspraynozzle.Itwillspreadoutthewater,soyou’renot

wateringfasterthanwhatcanbeefficientlyabsorbedbythe

ground.Youcanusethesamemeasuringmethoddescribedin

“HowMuch”todetermineifyou’vewateredenough.

Harvesting RainWaterHarvesting iscapturingandstoringrainfall to irrigate

plants.Waterharvestingwillhelpyousavemoneyonmonthly

waterbillsandreduceyourdependenceontreatedtapwater.

A well-designed system will also decrease your landscape

maintenance needs and rainwater can help to improve the

health of your gardens, lawns, and trees because rain is a

naturallysoftwater.

Allyouneedforawaterharvestingsystemisrainandarain

barrel.Rainbarrelscanbepurchasedatvariouslocalgarden

shopsthroughoutFayettevilleorPWChasproducedavideo

with simple, easy-to-followdirectionsonhowyoucanmake

yourownrainbarrelandstartharvestingrainwater.Thevideo

isavailableonlineatwww.faypwc.comandisalsoavailable

attheCumberlandCountyLibraries,theCooperativeExtension

AgencyandtheCapeFearBotanicalGarden.

So Happy TogetherIdentifyzonesinyouryardbytheirwaterneeds.Factorssuch

asshade/sun,exposuretorainandwaterrunoffdetermine

whetherazonerequiresverylow,low,ormoderatewater

use.Forwater-wiselandscaping,reserveplantinginmoderate

water-usezonesforsmaller,“highvisibility”areas.

Put“like”plantstogether,groupingthemaccordingtotheir

watering needs. That way, you can water just enough to

keepallplantshealthy–and“happy”!(Youwon’tbeover-

wateringsome,whileunder-wateringothers.)Agreatsource

fordetailedplantsuggestions(includingtrees,shrubs,flowers,

groundcoverandmore)iswww.wateruseitwisely.com.Click

on Low Water Use Plants, and you’ll find a section on

drought-tolerantplantsforNClandscapes.

Think About Limiting LawnsLawnsarethemostpopular–andoftenthemostexpansive

– part of residential landscaping. But lawns can be the

mostwater-needypartsof theyard.Youcanreduceyour

lawnarea(andbeautifyyouryard)byaddinggroundcover

or mulched beds, as well as areas such as patios and

walkways.Becarefulifyou’readdingpavedareas,asthey

mightincreasewaterrunoffandcausedrainageproblems.

Drought Defying Besuretochooseawater-wise,warm-weathertypeofgrass

for your lawn. Drought-resistant grasses that survive and

thrive (with low watering) in our region’s hot, dry climate

includeCentipede,BermudaandZoysia.

Don’t Mow Too LowHere’ssomethingelseimportanttoremember.Don’tmow

your lawntooshort.Tallergrass“shades”thesoilso less

waterevaporates.And,itpromotesdeeperrootgrowthfor

moreeffectivewaterabsorption.Astrongerrootsystemwill

alsomakeyourgrassmore“self-resistant”toweeds,insects

anddisease.

Think Good DirtSoilpreparationisakeystepinmakingyourlandscaping

more water wise. Good soil holds moisture better and

allowsplantstogrowdeeperroots,whichmeanstheroots

canabsorbwaterdeeperdownafterthetopsoilisdry.

Before undertaking a landscaping project, it’s worthwhile

tohaveyoursoiltestedatyourlocalCooperativeExtension

office. Cumberland County’s Cooperative Extension is

locatedat301EastMountainDrive(phone:910-321-6860).

Aftertestingthesoilsampleyouprovide,theycantellyou

whatmaybe“missing”fromyoursoil,andwhatyoucando

toimproveit.

Think MulchUsingmulchisoneofthesimplestandmosteffectiveways

toconservewater.By inhibitingwaterevaporation,mulch

helpsyoursoilstaymoist.Italsolooksgreat!Asanadded

benefit,mulchkeepstheweedsout.

Organicmulchesarebestbecausetheyretainmoisturewell,

whiletheyalsoaddnutrientstothesoilastheydecompose.

Goodchoices includepinestraw,pinebarkandchipped

or shreddedhardwood.You canalso use fall leaves, but

don’tusegrassclippings.Theydecomposequicklyandcan

turnmoldy.Mulchesmadefrom“rocky”materials,suchas

gravel and marble chips, are not as water-wise because

theyheatupinsun.

Make a MapIf you’re landscaping your yard “from scratch” – or re-

landscapingmajorareasor theentireyard–youmaywant

tocreateadrawingofyourpropertytoidentifythefollowing

factorsthatwillinfluenceyourplans:

•Permanent features including your house, other

structures, large rocks, slopes, etc., as well as any

existinglandscaping(includingtrees)youplantokeep.

•Characteristics of different areas of your property,

including sun exposure. (morning, afternoon, all-day),

existingshade,slopes,andwindexposure.

•Type(s)ofsoilonyourpropertyanddrainageproblems

thatcanbeaddressed

•Andwhile you’reat it, it’sagreat idea tonoteareas

whererainwaterflows(suchasofftherooforfromgutter

drains) – which will allow you to include collecting

rainwaterinyourplans.

Don’t Shun the ShadeItcanbeyourbestfriendinhot,dryclimateareas.Thereare

plentyofbeautifulshrubs,plantsandflowersthatgrowwellin

shadyareas.Usetheshadeyouhave–fromtrees,buildings,

walls and fences. Or, create your own by planting trees or

shrubs, using decorative touches such as trellises, or adding

structuressuchasfences.Shadecancoolyourlandscapingby

up to20degrees.And, if youcreate shadeneardriveways,

walkways,etc.,itwillreducetheheatthatbuildsupwhenthe

sunpoundsdownonthesehardsurfaces.

THInk PRoPER PlAnnIng & DESIgn

AsPWCencourageseveryoneto

stop…think…andconservewater,weremindyou–ifyou

don’tstopfirsttothink–gardenscanguzzleandlandscaping

maylapitup.Thinkaboutthis.Duringdryweather,watering

lawnsandgardenscanaccountforuptothree-quartersofyour

totalhouseholdwateruse!What’smore, toomuchwatering

can actually be detrimental, as many plant problems come

fromover-watering,notunder-watering.

With wise planning and preparation, it is possible to have

beautiful landscaping that uses little water. The following

steps will give you lots to think about. The more steps you

can incorporate into your

landscaping,themorewater-

wiseyouryardwillbe.