 outdoor conservation tips outdoor conservation tips during the warm summer months we in the portland metro area spend time outdoors tending to our lawns growing our gardens washing our cars all activities that depend on water you can have your fun in the sun and still conserve water and do right by the environment to help we ve compiled these easy to follow tips to conserve water while keeping your landscape healthy and thriving all summer long lawns avoid over watering your lawn the most common problem in the home landscape lawns need an average of 1 inch of water per week water lawns and gardens before 10 am or after 6 pm to slow evaporation it can save as much as 300 gallons of water per month reduce the amount you water on windy overcast or rainy days doing so can save as much as 300 gallons of water each time let your lawn go brown it s not dead just dormant when the rain returns and it will so will your green grass plant less water intensive grass replace your lawn with other plants including those native to the pacific northwest consider drought tolerant grasses instead of turfgrasses or replace part or all of your lawn with shrubs and trees aerate it prevents runoff and gives water easier access to the root systems mow high and mow often cutting your lawn higher 23 inches encourages a stronger root system and reduces evaporation consider a mulching mower that chops grass and leaves it on the lawn as natural fertilizer plants group your plants according to their water needs plant in the spring or fall to take advantage of cooler temperatures and natural rainfall that will help plants get established prune heavy foliage fertilizers increase water consumption so apply the minimum amount of fertilizer necessary plant steppable plants irrigation systems select a sprinkler that releases water slowly and close to the ground rather than one that releases a mist which tends to evaporate quickly before watering check the soil below the surface use a screwdriver as a soil probe to test soil moisture if it goes in easily don t water water during early morning hours to reduce evaporation and water waste water only as rapidly as the soil can absorb the water to prevent runoff break up your watering times if water puddles or runs off your lawn set a kitchen timer when watering your lawn or garden with a hose better yet invest in a manual hose bib timer use soaker hoses or drip irrigation on trees shrubs and planting beds to apply water directly to the soil use a rain sensor that automatically turns off your irrigation system when it starts raining see sprinkler systems 101 for more information buy a watering or rain gauge so you know how much rain has fallen you can subtract that amount from your landscape s water needs each week check your automatic irrigation system periodically to make sure it is working properly place sprinklers at the top of sloped areas so the water runoff ends up watering the entire slope or use a soaker hose on slopes to prevent runoff don t water with sprinklers on windy days water can be lost to evaporation or blown away from plants hoses use a hose with a shut off nozzle to save an average of 10 gallons per minute sweep your driveway and sidewalks instead of hosing them down which can save 150 gallons or more of water make sure your sprinklers water your garden and not your sidewalk or driveway they won t grow no matter how much you water them  vehicle washing save up to 150 gallons of water when washing your car by using buckets of water rather than letting the hose run use commercial car washes that recycle water on site or send it to a water treatment facility where it is cleaned and returned to the water cycle  outdoor conservation tips website website outdoors website tips   outdoor  