Save Water with Drip Watering

If you drive around on any summer evening (or bike because you want to save gas) you'll see the oscillating sprays of lawn sprinklers and the beautiful, little rainbows in their wake. Well, this is very picturesque but these homeowners are contributing to the water shortage that will inevitably come to almost every area of the country.

Sprinklers have had their day. If you look closely much of the spray drifts on the breeze and evaporates. And this wastage increases in the sunshine. This is why drip watering is such a smart idea.

Whether you have trees, shrubs or a lawn that you want to hold on to having a drip system makes sense. This is basically a hose with small holes buried in the ground by the root source of the plants (or in the case of a tree, a mesh cannister which extends down to the roots). The water drips out right at root level or the hose can be placed on the ground level.

Drip systems are rated at a 90% efficiency for getting water to the plant for 50% for sprinklers. And they are easy to install.

However, they are not maintenance-free and clogs may occur. Therefore they should be checked frequently.