Why does conserving outdoor water matter? We need to keep our lawns green and our landscapes healthy. Heck, our HOAs require it.

The better question is, how can we conserve our outdoor water use while protecting our most precious resource?

Consider the environmental and financial impacts of water waste. The inefficiencies in your outdoor watering waste water and cost you more money on your water bills.

Everyday Habits to Reduce Your Outdoor Water Footprint

Timing is everything, such as knowing the best hours to water your lawn and landscape. For example, the best time to water your lawn and flowerbeds is from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. when the temperatures are cool and there’s less wind.

When you irrigate your lawn and landscape this early, there’s less water evaporation, and the water can soak deep into the soil.

While you don’t want to turn on your sprinklers at dusk, you can still water your lawn after the peak heating of the day when temperatures cool off, and there are still hours of daylight to avoid water sitting on plants overnight.

Also, if you haven’t invested in a sprinkler system with the most recent technology, you’re wasting time and water when you use garden hoses or above-ground sprinklers.

If you forget to put a timer on reminding you to shut off the hoses, you waste water and overwater your lawn. Second, you waste time when you must hand water your landscaped areas and gardens.

Better watering solutions to save money on your water bill and help the environment are in-ground sprinkler systems, drip irrigation, and bubblers. For example, our K-Rain Irrigation System Controllers have many easily programmable features.

You can set up and use our system controllers with seasonal adjustments, ready rain/rain freeze sensors, and permanent memory.

You control when your water sprinkler turns on and off. Also, add a rain/rain freeze sensor so your sprinklers automatically stop when it rains or temperatures drop below freezing.

Gardening Techniques That Conserve Water

If you live in an area where the summers blaze into triple digits, and there’s no rain for weeks, then you want to consider xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is a landscaping method that reduces the need for irrigation.

When you xeriscape your property, you use drought-resistant plants, such as succulents and native plants. You practice efficient watering techniques, such as drip irrigation, to save water in drier climates.   Xeriscaping is popular in the southwestern United States and other states with drought periods during the year.


You don’t have to settle for boring if you live in a drier climate. Instead, you can incorporate colorful plants and add boulders, stone, paver walkways, and garden paths with xeriscaping landscape design.
Here are some plants that do well in a xeriscape landscape:

• Agave
• Cacti
• California sagebrush
• Coneflower
• Creeping sage
• Ice plants
• Lavender
• Russian stonecrop
• Shore juniper
• Yarrow.

Don’t forget the power of mulch. It regulates soil temperatures and keeps moisture in the soil longer. Use traditional bark and pine needle mulches, wood chips, or other organic mulch to hold moisture and keep soil temperatures cooler.

If you prefer pea gravel as a mulch, remember it won’t hold in moisture or keep the soil cooler than organic mulches.

Maintaining Water Sprinklers to Avoid Water Waste

Leaking water sprinklers or sprinkler heads can cause your water bill to skyrocket. You don’t want to wait until you get those high bills to discover water leaks from your sprinkler system.

Here are four signs of a leaking sprinkler system:

1. Unevenly dry landscape where one part of your property is getting water, and the other isn’t.
2. Water pooling around sprinkler heads where these areas are overwatered due to a leak. Puddles may be near the sprinkler heads or in other irrigation system areas.
3. Low water pressure, including sprinkler heads not rising or emitting very little water, could indicate a leak within the system.
4. Damaged system parts, including cracked pipes or broken sprinkler heads, causing leaks.

Stay ahead of the rising water bills by upgrading or recalibrating your underground sprinkler system. Drip irrigation and bubblers deliver water directly to the root area of plants, giving them the H2O they need without overwatering.

Invest in water management products designed to conserve water, such as irrigation controllers, sprays, rotors, rain/freeze sensors, and other technology-advanced sprinkler system parts.

Finally, adjust your sprinkler heads for optimal water distribution. Ensure that the next spray begins where one sprinkler head’s reach ends. You want the right rotors and spray heads for your water sprinkler. Don’t mix and match at random, or your sprinkler system won’t work efficiently.

Also, you don’t want your water sprinklers to spray the driveway, patio, or any other hardscape.

Here are additional tips and tricks for adjusting your sprinkler heads for even water flow; instructions are here:

1. Use one of the four K Keys to adjust K-Rain sprinkler heads and rotary nozzles; use these K Keys as spray head handles to put spray heads back in their holders.
2. The K Keys can be used as adjustment tools for the MiniPro, ProPlus, SuperPro RPS Select Adjustment Key, RPS 75 and RPS 75i Adjustment Keys, and the Rotary Nozzle Adjustment Tool.
3. Use the right key to adjust the spray settings on your K-Rain sprinkler heads.
4. Know which arrow points to the nozzle’s position (red nozzle in the gray area); the other arrow turns clockwise to adjust the sprinkler head’s opening.
5. Put the K Key in the circle on the spray head’s top and pull it up to make adjustments.
6. Adjust the nozzle for the spray type you want to emit—long or short.
7. Set the spray pattern before putting the new spray head into the ground.
8. When setting the spray pattern, start at the lowest setting and turn it clockwise to the setting you want. Adjust the spray head to meet your watering needs to 180°, 240°, or 360°.
9. Place the riser deep enough in the ground to avoid lawn mower damage; conversely, you don’t want to set it so low that dirt and water get into it.
10. Place the sprinkler head into the riser already in the ground.
11. Test the sprinkler to ensure it works and covers the area it intends to water.
12. While adjusting your K-Rain sprinkler system, do a maintenance check for clogged nozzles or dirty heads that need to be cleaned or replaced.

If these directions don’t fix your K-Rain Sprinkler System problem, watch this video for more troubleshooting solutions.

How K-Rain Irrigation Products Save You Money & Benefit the Environment at the Same Time

You can trust K-Rain with our water-conserving products. We engineer the hardest-working irrigation products in the world, which is a vital part of our heritage and mission.

Lower your water bills and get your K-Rain irrigation products today! Buy your K-Rain sprinkler system products at our online store or these fine retailers.

Got questions about your K-Rain product? Then contact our customer service at 800-735-7246 or visit our contact page.

Sources:
LawnStarter.com, 17 Plants for Xeriscaping.
StreamLabs, Irrigation System Leaks: How to Spot Them and Stop Them.
TheWaterScrooge.com, The Long-Term Financial Impact of Water Waste for Property Owners.