The Top Five Ways to Save Money on Irrigation Costs

If you want to save on irrigation costs, here are some ways you can do just that. And not only will these save you money, but they’ll also save you time, so that you won’t be spending so much of your time monitoring your lawn or garden for its water needs.

Use an automatic lawn irrigation system

Automatic lawn irrigation systems can be costly upfront, but they’ll save you a significant amount of both time and money in the long run, especially when it comes to conserving water. You can, of course, simply drop a lawn hose or sprinkler into the middle of your lawn and let it do its thing, but an automatic lawn irrigation system is going to control the amount of water so that you only get the amount you need, and so that there is minimal evaporation to worry about besides. A lawn irrigation system lets you target those plants that need the most water, while only minimally watering areas that don’t need much. You can also set them so that they will water at times of day when evaporation is less likely.

Use hardy plants that don’t need much water

You can landscape your lawn beautifully by using hardy plants that don’t need much water and are drought resistant.

Don’t have your lawn be a “monoculture” disaster

Although satiny green lawns may be desirable on the surface, in fact, they’re generally a nightmare to keep up because they need such rigorous watering, weeding and fertilizing. In other words, let your lawn be a little bit diverse; let it go “au naturel” to some extent, in other words. You shouldn’t let it simply go to weed, of course, but a little variety is a good thing. Clover, as one example, will readily pop up if you don’t keep it away, and is a great way to naturally fertilize your lawn (and provide it some hardy drought-resistant cover as well) so that it stays looking green and nice.

Use drip irrigation

Drip irrigation simply uses tubes that have release points near places that need the most water. These systems use batteries to regulate flow and also prevent water from backing up and contaminating fresh water.

Use rainwater

You can of course simply “let it rain” when you want to water your lawn or garden, but if you want to save the rainwater that comes off your gutters, it’s pretty easy to do. Just put a collection container under a downspout or use what are called rain chains to collect the water and then use it where it’s needed. Even when water is scarce (and of course we all want to conserve water these days), you can have a beautiful lawn and/or garden at minimal cost. Simply be smart with your irrigation methods, keep your lawn and/or garden happy, and be mindful of water conservation and expense at the same time.