Blog

A few weeks ago, I signed up to receive my 'weekly watering number' via email from the Regional Water Providers Consortium website. Every Thursday, I receive my email, and every Thursday, I look at the recommendation critically and decide whether some computer software can do as good a job as I can to figure out how much I should water.

So far, it looks like I can relax and trust the computer: the guidline number I'm getting makes sense.

The website is easy to use: enter your zip code and you receive a watering number. This week, for my zip code, my number is 1.6. That means that I'm supposed to water my lawn 1.6 inches. Then, I take that number and reduce it by 50% for my trees, shrubs and perennials. My veggie garden gets 75% of that number. The site adds the caveat that newly planted trees and shrubs need additional water for the first two summers.

The weekly watering number changes depending on the local weather. The Regional Water Providers Consortium contracts with a weather forecasting service to narrow down temperature and rainfall by zip code.

What this website doesn't take into account is that your soil type (sandy, clay, loam) and condition (well-drained, compacted), as well as if your landscape is shady or sunny, will both affect how much to water. However, there is a good description of how to measure your sprinklers' output. If you don't already have a ProGrass rain gauge to use for this, email me at mthornton@prograss.com and I'll send the first 15 people who respond by Aug. 3rd a free ProGrass rain gauge!

Check out the Regional Water Providers Consortium website for lots of good information on water conservation. Their Kids Page offers a bunch of fun interactive games and information. My 10 year old challenged me to take the Know Your H2O quiz. Luckily I passed!