05/22/07 Saving Water

Saving Water. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. We have been hearing that there are some places in Idaho where water may be a bit on the scarce side this year. Snow packs that normally provide plenty of water are not there. Farmers may not have enough water for irrigation so conservation is going to be crucial this year. Water conservation starts at home with simple things. Lori Schneider with Idaho County Extension has some simple ideas that are good for everyone even in areas with plenty of water. SCHNEIDER: People need to realize that grass is one of the largest water consumption plants that they can have in their landscape and we all like to have grass but if we can go towards varieties that are a little bit more tolerant to these heat conditions than what we usually use that's one way that we can make things a little better. Schneider suggests talking with your local nursery about what plants do better with less water. There are some sure signs of drought tolerant plants. SCHNEIDER: The things with silvery gray leaves tend to hold water longer than other types of plants. Plants that have fuzzy leaves tend to be a little bit more drought tolerant. Of course your succulents  cacti and succulents are going to tolerate dryer conditions a little bit better. And then there's lots of other things, you know we've got some shrubs that are a little bit more native around here or a little more adapted to our area. Adding more drought tolerant plants is a good start but when it does come to watering plants, trees and grass, Schneider has a recommendation. SCHNEIDER: Instead of watering everything the way you would water your lawn, there are plants that are in your flower beds if your group together the plants that take less water and then put the plants that need more water together then you can water them according to their needs and you don't have to be watering everything on an even keel because sometimes that's just wasted effort. As for that lawn, there are some people that have just decided to not worry about it and let it go dormant but if you just can't bring yourself to do that Schneider says to water early in the morning before the sun comes up and not to water on windy days since so much less water actually winds up where you want it. Oh and one more thing. SCHNEIDER: They water deeper and infrequently because that forces the roots of your plants to go deeper. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.