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Pledge Item 3: Water with the Weather

Four circular icons, each representing a season: a blue snowflake for winter, a green leaf for spring, a yellow sun for summer, and an orange leaf for autumn, set against a dark blue background with a wave pattern at the bottom.

The third Pledge item of the Save Water Pledge is to water with the weather.

Phoenix is located in the Sonoran Desert. As desert residents, we enjoy a diverse and beautiful natural desert landscape. By watering with the weather, you can use less water while having your landsc​ape thrive!

Tips

Tip 1: Start ​​by thinking about how often you water your plants.

Even for your thirstiest plants, you should water no more than 2x pe​r week, in the hottest part of the year. In cooler months, you can water far less.

​Learn more about water quantities for your plants with our partner, Water Use It Wisely.

Tip 2: Time your watering for efficiency.

When you water, make sure to water at night or befo​​re the sun comes up. This way, the water won't evaporate before your plants get a drink!

Learn about how the wrong time of day can waste water by visiting this page from our partner Water Use It Wisely.

 

Tip 3: Pace your watering for efficiency.

If you experience runoff during watering, change your schedule to run multiple short irrigation sessions.

​Learn more about appropriate irrigation rates and how water that is applied too quickly can be wasted by visiting this page from our partner Water Use It Wisely.

 

  • About 1 second between drips

  • Constant drips

  • 1/2” stream before drips

  • 1” stream before drips

Tip 4: If it is raining, you shouldn't be watering!

When it rains, turn off your irrigation contr​​oller. You can skip your next plann​​​ed watering day, or in general, just wait a week!

 

Tip 5: Choose desert-adapted or low water-use plants!

When planting, consider choosing desert-adapted an​​​d low water-use plants, which are perfect for the Sonoran Desert! These plants will need very little extra water, which means less time, money, and water spent caring for your landscape.

​​To get inspiration when choosing plants or designing a conservation landscape, visit our Desert Landscapes in your Front Yard webpage.

 

Tip 6: Sign up for monthly text reminders from our partner, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association.​

AMWUA's educational text service can help you every month to water better by thinking about the weather! See below for more details.

 

A close-up of a person holding a smartphone displaying a text message, next to an outdoor irrigation controller.

Don’t Set It and Forget It

Text WHENTOWATER to 1-844-416-1428 and sign up for free monthly watering reminders. Sponsored by the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association.

A close-up of a person holding a smartphone displaying a text message, next to an outdoor irrigation controller.

The Pledge