Water, Water Everywhere And NoneOf It Wasted amount of water you use to water your lawn andstill keep that lawn looking healthy. Here are sometips on the intelligent use of water for gardening from Rain Bird Corporation, a leaderin theirrigation industry: Avoid over-watering lawns and gardens. The greatest waste of water comes from applying too much too often. Instead of watering for 20 minutes straight, water four times for five minutes each session. This allows water to soak in while minimizing runoff. Watering in the evening isn’t a good idea because leaf surfaces can remain wet overnight—invit- ing fungaldiseases. Try to water between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. when the sunis low, winds are calm and temperatures are cool. Use a low-angle nozzle in areas where windis a factor. Divide your yard and land- scaping into separate irrigation zones so grass can be watered separately and more often than groundcovers, shrubs andtrees. Trim grass at a higher mower setting to shade roots from sunlight and encourage deeperroots. elf you have an underground sprinkler system, make sure the sprinkler headsare adjusted prop- = EO 7 (NAPSA)—Keeping the planet and your garden green may be easier if you take advantageof the latest gardeningtools. For example, there are ways to keep lawns green and conserve water. With a correctly designed, installed and maintained irrigation system, you can minimize the S45 CHESAE To save water, adjust your irrigation system as the seasons and weather change. erly to avoid watering sidewalks and driveways. A properly adjusted sprinkler head should spray large droplets of water instead of a fog of fine mist, which is more susceptible to evaporation and winddrift. Consider direct application of water to roots using low volume “drip” emitters. By applying water slowly to soil, drip irrigation is by far the most efficient way to water. The water flows through emitters, bubblers or spray heads placed at each plant. Mulch, a layer of non-living material covering the soil surface around plants, conserves water by significantly reducing moisture evaporation from thesoil. For more watering tips or information on water-savingirri- gation products, visit www.rain bird.com or contact a Rain Bird retailer.
