Although water is provided by nature for free, because of pollution and changing weather patterns, it has become difficult to get usable clean water running from our taps. We are increasingly aware of this effect in our pocketbooks. Mother Nature is slowly but surely getting drained from this valuable resource. Although most of the earth’s surface is covered with it, only 2.5% is freshwater and only 1% is drinkable the other is locked up in the polar ice caps. Some parts of the earth have low rainfall figures, while other parts of the world regard a raincoat to be compulsory. People who live in high rainfall climates easily disregard the scarceness of water. Over 1 Billion people lack the appropriate drinking water. Evapotranspiration accounts for 4,000 gal water per day in one acre of corn. Some of our aquifers that supply our groundwater have dropped 30-40 ft and only 1 in 5 will still contain water in the year 2020. Whether or not you have a lot of water, there are some guidelines we can follow to save water. Not only will it save us some money, but it will also help preserve this precious resource provided by nature.

Here are some of the guidelines to follow in order to save a drop or two:

1) Plant flowers that require less water. Herbs are good examples of plants that require less water. They are also useful for cooking and some of them even have medicinal uses.
2) Water the garden at times when the temperature is lower. Early in the morning for instance. During the day water will evaporate at a higher rate because of the higher temperature.
3) Service taps regularly. In the long run, your savings on the water bill will be remarkably more than the service cost of taps. A dripping tap not only wastes money and water. If it is located close to the house or other structures, it will cause damage to the foundation and surrounding structures. Damp conditions will result in expensive and timely repair work to your house.
4) Buy a cover for your pool. By doing this, the water surface will not be exposed to direct sunlight.

Tips on saving water

• Avoid over-watering lawns and gardens. Surface runoff and water that is applied to areas that have no roots or grass are completely wasted.
• Watering early in the morning minimizes fungal diseases on the leaves of plants, and minimizes evaporation.
• Separating shrub garden, annual garden, grass, and hanging baskets/pots into separate zones can allow more specific watering schedules tailored to each specific area, minimizing over and under-watering.
• Trim grass at a higher mower setting to shade roots from sunlight and encourage deeper roots.
• Mulching Landscape Beds

We prefer to have plans to bid off of and to follow off of when we work. There are exceptions and we can do a design-build based on the owner’s thoughts and ideas or the look they are going for. We use this information to design the look you desire.

No. We will meet, email or call you and provide a professional bid for no cost for drainage systems, new sprinkler installations or rain gutters.

Rotors are sprinkler heads that rotate from side to side as they operate and are generally used for large turf areas. Sprays are smaller sprinkler heads that are stationary when active and are generally used for flower beds and small turf areas. Rotors need to be adjusted using a special plastic key (Hunter brand) or a small slotted screwdriver (RainBird brand).

Instructions for RainBird rotary heads can be found at: http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/rotors/3500.htm

Other helpful hints can be found at RainBird: http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/index.htm

The easiest way to determine if there is an active leak in the irrigation system is to use the water meter as a gauge. Water meters are equipped with a microdial that measures minute amounts of water flowing through the meter. This microdial is often shaped like a triangle or a star. If no water in the home is running (no leaking toilets, etc.) the microdial should be stationary. However, if the microdial is moving and no water is running in the house, you can shut the water off at the backflow preventer valve and recheck the microdial. If the movement of the microdial ceases, then we can assume that there is an active leak in the irrigation and you should have it serviced. If there is still movement of the microdial after cutting the water supply at the backflow preventer valve then there is a leak elsewhere in the waterline, but not involving the irrigation system.