Plus 10 Water-Saving Tips for your Garden your for Tips Water-Saving 10 Plus 5 Printed on recycled paper recycled on Printed © 2014 San Diego County Water Authority Water County Diego San 2014 © sdbgarden.org sdbgarden.org thegarden.org tted landscape that looks beautiful and saves water. saves and beautiful looks that landscape tted retrofi or new a for ideas get Landscapes ese gardens are excellent places to to places excellent are gardens Th ese Cajon. El in Garden Conservation Water the and Encinitas Many of the plants in this guide are labeled and on display at the San Diego Botanic Garden in in Garden Botanic Diego San the at display on and labeled are guide this in plants the of Many 0 WaterSmartSD.org Plants for for Plants Nifty agencies member 24 its and hese Nift y 50 plants have been selected because they are attractive, T oft en available in nurseries, non-invasive, easy to maintain, long- term performers, scaled for residential landscapes and, once estab- lished, drought-tolerant. In fact, these plants thrive in San Diego’s semi- arid climate and can help restore regional authenticity to your home. What’s exciting is that authentic also means sustainable. Plants native to Mediterranean climate zones love it here as much as you do. Th ey adapted over thousands of years, and the animal species that depend on them for food and habitat adapted, too. In fact, there are thousands of ground cov- ers, grasses, succulents, perennials, shrubs, vines and trees to choose from. For more information, go to WaterSmartSD.org. Enhance your garden with WaterSmart plants that exemplify the San Diego region at its best! 10 essential steps to saving water in the garden you have or Water Like a Pro in the new one you design. Check Your Water Pressure Take Care of Your Trees If pressure is too high, a pressure regulator should be installed; if low, options may include drip Water trees less frequently but for longer periods 1. than shrubs and perennials. Give your trees their irrigation or low-fl ow sprinkler nozzles. High water pres- 6. sure – over 70 psi – can cause sprinklers to fog, reducing the own irrigation zone, use drip irrigation and water each tree amount of water that is applied to your garden. Low water at the dripline – the outside edge of the tree’s canopy. As the pressure – under 30 psi – can reduce a sprinkler’s distance, tree grows, move irrigation outward to stay at the dripline. leaving unwatered areas. Baby Your New Plants Inspect Your System New plants need extra water during their fi rst Once a month, manually cycle through each 7. 12 months in your garden, which is called the irrigation zone. Check, adjust, or replace sprin- establishment period. Water daily for two weeks after 2. planting to mimic the watering routine in most nurser- kler heads and drip emitters that are missing, blocked, broken, or watering hardscape. ies. Maintain the establishment period watering schedule through your new garden’s fi rst summer. Use a Landscape Watering Calculator Water at Sunrise or Sunset Use the city of San Diego’s Landscape Watering Calculator http://apps.sandiego.gov/landcalc/ Soil absorbs the most water from irrigation 3. when the temperature, evaporation rate and to produce a watering schedule. The calculator is based on 8. historical weather data for your zip code, along with the wind are lower. water requirements of the plants, the soil, and the sprinkler type in each of your irrigation zones. It’s free, easy to use, Don’t Water When it Rains and works for any location in San Diego County. Connect a rain sensor to a standard irrigation 9.controller. Watering will stop automatically when Hydrozone Properly the sensor detects rainfall. The system will stay off until the Have one water-use level per irrigation zone. sensor dries out. Water-effi cient plants react to overwatering and 4. Replenish Your Mulch underwatering the same way – they lose their foliage and produce fewer fl owers until all you see are branches. Maintaining a three-inch layer of mulch To avoid this, limit the plants within each irrigation zone to 10. protects soil from direct sunlight and one water-use level. evaporation. It also absorbs water, reducing runoff and providing more moisture for your soil. Use One Type of Sprinkler Per Zone For more information, go to WaterSmartSD.org and check In each of your irrigation zones, the plants should out our eGuide to a WaterSmart Lifestyle, landscape 5.have the same water use level and the sprinklers classes, irrigation rebates, other programs and incentives. should have the same application and efficiency rates. Nifty 50 Photo credits by number: GardensSoft 5, 9, 14, 16, 33, 35, 37 (far left), 48; David Yetz 13, 15, 18; Don Schultz 41, 43; Janet Rademacher 37 (middle); Susan Frommer 37 (far right). Step 2 Ewing; 8 Hunter Plus 10 Water-Saving Tips for your Garden your for Tips Water-Saving 10 Plus 5 Printed on recycled paper recycled on Printed © 2014 San Diego County Water Authority Water County Diego San 2014 © sdbgarden.org sdbgarden.org thegarden.org tted landscape that looks beautiful and saves water. saves and beautiful looks that landscape tted retrofi or new a for ideas get Landscapes ese gardens are excellent places to to places excellent are gardens Th ese Cajon. El in Garden Conservation Water the and Encinitas Many of the plants in this guide are labeled and on display at the San Diego Botanic Garden in in Garden Botanic Diego San the at display on and labeled are guide this in plants the of Many 0 WaterSmartSD.org Plants for for Plants Nifty agencies member 24 its and hese Nift y 50 plants have been selected because they are attractive, T oft en available in nurseries, non-invasive, easy to maintain, long- term performers, scaled for residential landscapes and, once estab- lished, drought-tolerant. In fact, these plants thrive in San Diego’s semi- arid climate and can help restore regional authenticity to your home. What’s exciting is that authentic also means sustainable. Plants native to Mediterranean climate zones love it here as much as you do. Th ey adapted over thousands of years, and the animal species that depend on them for food and habitat adapted, too. In fact, there are thousands of ground cov- ers, grasses, succulents, perennials, shrubs, vines and trees to choose from. For more information, go to WaterSmartSD.org. Enhance your garden with WaterSmart plants that exemplify the San Diego region at its best! 10 essential steps to saving water in the garden you have or Water Like a Pro in the new one you design. Check Your Water Pressure Take Care of Your Trees If pressure is too high, a pressure regulator should be installed; if low, options may include drip Water trees less frequently but for longer periods 1. than shrubs and perennials. Give your trees their irrigation or low-fl ow sprinkler nozzles. High water pres- 6. sure – over 70 psi – can cause sprinklers to fog, reducing the own irrigation zone, use drip irrigation and water each tree amount of water that is applied to your garden. Low water at the dripline – the outside edge of the tree’s canopy. As the pressure – under 30 psi – can reduce a sprinkler’s distance, tree grows, move irrigation outward to stay at the dripline. leaving unwatered areas. Baby Your New Plants Inspect Your System New plants need extra water during their fi rst Once a month, manually cycle through each 7. 12 months in your garden, which is called the irrigation zone. Check, adjust, or replace sprin- establishment period. Water daily for two weeks after 2. planting to mimic the watering routine in most nurser- kler heads and drip emitters that are missing, blocked, broken, or watering hardscape. ies. Maintain the establishment period watering schedule through your new garden’s fi rst summer. Use a Landscape Watering Calculator Water at Sunrise or Sunset Use the city of San Diego’s Landscape Watering Calculator http://apps.sandiego.gov/landcalc/ Soil absorbs the most water from irrigation 3. when the temperature, evaporation rate and to produce a watering schedule. The calculator is based on 8. historical weather data for your zip code, along with the wind are lower. water requirements of the plants, the soil, and the sprinkler type in each of your irrigation zones. It’s free, easy to use, Don’t Water When it Rains and works for any location in San Diego County. Connect a rain sensor to a standard irrigation 9.controller. Watering will stop automatically when Hydrozone Properly the sensor detects rainfall. The system will stay off until the Have one water-use level per irrigation zone. sensor dries out. Water-effi cient plants react to overwatering and 4. Replenish Your Mulch underwatering the same way – they lose their foliage and produce fewer fl owers until all you see are branches. Maintaining a three-inch layer of mulch To avoid this, limit the plants within each irrigation zone to 10. protects soil from direct sunlight and one water-use level. evaporation. It also absorbs water, reducing runoff and providing more moisture for your soil. Use One Type of Sprinkler Per Zone For more information, go to WaterSmartSD.org and check In each of your irrigation zones, the plants should out our eGuide to a WaterSmart Lifestyle, landscape 5.have the same water use level and the sprinklers classes, irrigation rebates, other programs and incentives. should have the same application and efficiency rates.