Tips to Help Your Plants During the Water Restriction

Following are some tips to help your plants during the drought and water restriction:

Lawns: The grass will grow more slowly when there’s less water available, so you’ll typically mow less during a water shortage. Leaving the grass unmown will help shade the grass and conserve moisture. If you feel you have to mow, mow at the highest blade level and mow with a sharp blade.

Save gray water for your vegetable garden and potted flowers. Save water that is run while waiting for water to get warm, water from handwashing or any other way you can capture water that has been used in the house. Quick showers rather than baths of course. We can also save by not flushing the toilet every time it is used.

Apply Mulch. A 2- to 3-inch-deep layer of mulch over the soil helps the soil stay cooler and shields the ground from direct sun. The benefit is that moisture stays in the soil longer, where it's more available to your garden plants.

Stop Fertilizing. If you apply fertilizers (organic or synthetic), it's helpful to stop at the onset of a drought. Fertilizers encourage plant growth; the more a plant grows, the more moisture it needs. If fertilizer salts build up in your soil because they're not naturally leaching out with rain or irrigation, they can build up and burn plant roots, causing further damage.

Deadhead Your Flowers. Removing spent blooms before they have a chance to set seed saves energy for your plants: They don't need to put extra energy (which they need water for) into producing seeds.