Use Water Wisely - Outdoors

Did you know that up to 70% of your home water use could be going to the outdoors? Learn how to save money, water, and time by mastering outdoor water use.

Water Wisely banner: Up to 70 percent of your water use is outdoors. Learn more at wateruseitwisely.com/arizona

​Four Quick Steps to Save Water Today:

1. Water your plants between sundown and sunrise to reduce water lost to evaporation.

2. Water small plants (like groundcovers) to a depth of 1 foot, medium plants (like shrubs) to a depth of 2 feet, and large plants (like trees) to a depth of 3 feet.

3. Water away from the trunk of a tree - at the drip line of your trees.

4. Water by the weather by changing how frequently you water based on the time of the year. 

​landscape water guidelines chart
​What About Lawns?
Common sense tells us lawns are not native to the Sonoran Desert. Just look at the hills around Papago Park. Keeping a high-maintenance, water-intensive lawn can be a losing battle in Phoenix. However, if grass fits your lifestyle, consider limiting it to a small section of your landscape, and chose hardy, low-water-use varieties.

Some Valley experts also suggest that you pick one season to water grass. Choose a warm grass like common bermudagrass and allow it to go dormant in the winter. You'll have green grass for up to seven months, and by skipping the winter grass, you can save an estimated 8,000 gallons per thousand square feet of grass. Alternatively, you may consider only having a winter grass to enjoy around five months of green grass with less frequent watering required in cooler weather. 

Whatever you choose, learning how to properly maintain and water your grass properly, can help you make your lawn as desert-friendly as possible.

What About Pools?

If you are a Phoenix pool owner, you are not alone. Thirty percent of single family homes in Phoenix have pools. It's important to take care of your pool with proper maintenance to make sure it is safe for use and not a leaky drain on your budget. Sometimes in the course of maintenance, you may have to backwash or drain your pool water, which contains harmful potential pollutants, such as chlorine, salt, and potentially mosquito larvae. Be sure to follow proper guidelines when draining or backwashing your pool to prevent polluting a wash or the Salt River. Learn more about pool maintenance.


hand being sprayed by water hose

WATER WISELY

When you give your plants exactly the amount of water they need, when they need it, you save money, prevent a headache, and maintain healthy and beautiful plants.

Increase Your Water Savings with Desert-Friendly Plants

Just by watering "by the weather," you have the potential to reduce your water use by 30 to 50%. But if you want to go a step further, then plant low-water-use and desert-friendly plants that require less care and less water. Desert plants are adapted to our soil conditions and to survive long periods of drought. And desert-friendly plants are so diverse that you can find a similar replacement for any high-water-use plant that you like. Planting desert plants will help you save water over the long-term, especially after plants are established (1 year for shrubs and 3 years for trees) and require less water. 


xeriscape scene

​PLANT DESERT FRIENDLY

Let's face it - our soils are hard and rainfall is infrequent. We live in a desert. Fortunately, desert-friendly plants can provide all shapes and sizes and colors that can be used to create a beautiful landscape.