These days it’s becoming important for us to adopt sustainable practices regarding water. This includes landscaping. In a lot of regions, water resources are disappearing, and excessive water usage for landscaping can only make this problem worse. With that said, if we put efficient irrigation strategies into place, we can keep up beautiful landscapes while also conserving water. Right now, we’ll take a moment to go over some key strategies for watering wisely as a way to promote water conservation and how you can implement Vu-Flow products to make everything more efficient.
The first thing to consider is that different plants have varying water requirements. Understanding your landscape's specific needs is very important to avoid either underwatering or overwatering. There are a few ways to figure out what you should be doing in your area including using online resources such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Reviewing this can help you to determine the ideal water requirements for the plants in your region.
Another way to help conserve water is to implement a drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation is highly efficient as it delivers water directly to a plant's root zone. This ultimately minimizes water loss that would otherwise happen due to evaporation or runoff. There are studies and articles out there, including one on news.mit.edu, which show that drip irrigation can reduce water usage by up to 60% compared to the more traditional sprinkler systems.
Implementing smart irrigation controllers as a part of your system is another smart irrigation strategy. By installing smart irrigation controllers, many things can be automated based on real-time data, soil moisture levels, and weather forecasts, but traditional irrigation systems cannot adjust watering schedules based on weather conditions. A smart controller can save a homeowner up to 8,800 gallons of water annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Selecting native and drought-tolerant plants can be very helpful in trying to conserve water. Native plants have adapted to local climates over time and require less water to survive and thrive. Incorporating drought-tolerant plants into your landscape can significantly reduce water consumption as well. There are quite a few resources out there for selecting drought-tolerant plants suitable for various regions including from the University of Florida IFAS Extension.
A fifth way that you can help to conserve water is to add mulch to your landscape. Placing mulch around your landscaping is a simple, but still effective way to retain soil moisture, reduce evaporation, as well as suppress weed growth. Significant amounts of water can be saved by simply applying a layer of organic mulch around your plants. An article published on the Utah State University Extension website points to some of these advantages of mulching.
Adjusting your watering schedule seasonally is yet another thing that you can do. It should be fairly obvious that the water needs of a landscape will change based on the season we’re in. When it’s cooler out or if it’s a rainy season, it’s good to reduce the frequency of watering to avoid wastage. On the other hand, when it’s the hot and dryer months, you’ll want to increase watering. The University of Georgia Extension offers more information on watering wisely based on seasonal needs.
Regardless of if you’re thinking about implementing one or all these water conservation practices into your landscaping, Vu-Flow has products to make everything even more efficient. For a long time now, Vu-Flow has been known for our Screen and Sand Separator filters. These filters are great for removing sediment from water, so no matter what your irrigation system setup ends up being, implementing one of these filters into it will help extend the life of your system and allow your landscape to flourish.
If you do choose to connect a Screen or Sand Separator filter to your irrigation system, you have a few options to choose from. Vu-Flow offers these filters with ¾", 1”, 1-½", and 2” inlets/outlets, which are all based around the GPM running through a given system. These filters also come in a variety of mesh options with either polyester or stainless-steel material. Among the different mesh sizes to pick from, there are 24, 30, 40, 60, 100, 140, 250, 500, and 1000 mesh. Normally when it comes to irrigation, it’s best to stick with a coarser mesh option such as 24, 30, 40, or 60.
The second water-conserving measure we talked about above was drop irrigation, and this year Vu-Flow has introduced a Y-Strainer filter. These filters are ideal for low flow rate water filtering such as drop irrigation. The Y-Strainers have a compact build, so they’re easier to install in small spaces, come with either mesh or disc filtration options, are chemical resistant, and come in a variety of inlet/outlet sizes.
These days, trying to conserve water is more important than ever. No matter which strategy you choose to go with, implementing a filter from Vu-Flow can help enhance your irrigation system even more. Call 1-800-833-5171 to talk to a customer service representative and learn more.
Source Notes: All information in this article relating to water requirements for plants in specific regions came from the United States Department of Agriculture. Information regarding how drip irrigation can reduce water usage came from news.mit.edu. All information relating to how smart controllers can save water came from the Environmental Protection Agency. Information regarding selecting drought-tolerant plants came from the University of Florida IFAS Extension. All information relating to how mulch can help save water came from the Utah State University Extension. Information regarding watering based on seasonal needs came from the University of Georgia Extension.
