The rains in the last few weeks have been a very welcome source of free water! Plants have greened up, and many celebrated by bursting into bloom (see below).
Storms and lightning can mean power outages so make sure you’ve replaced the battery in your irrigation timer within the past year (if it has that option). Battery backup will maintain your programs during an outage. See more about rainwater harvesting below.
Oh, and fingers crossed that we get more of that much-needed rainfall.
Photo: The battery can often be found on the back of the irrigation timer panel.
Recommendations below are for plants that are established in the landscape (in the ground about two years).
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- Desert Adapted - once every 15 days
- High Water Use - once every 8 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 17 days
- High Water Use - once every 9 days
- Desert Adapted - once every 13 days
- High Water Use - once every 6 days
Cacti and succulent watering
Annuals & vegetable watering
Note: These recommendations are a general guideline only and may need to be modified for your specific site conditions.
Landscape Watering by the Numbers: Don’t forget our online, interactive watering guide. If you input some simple information about your landscape irrigation system, it will tell you how long to water to give your plants just the right amount with these frequencies.
Why Pay for Water When It's Free
One inch of rain off a rooftop of a 1,500 square foot home can collect about 900 gallons of water! Add 3,000 square feet of landscape (a typical front and backyard) and you can collect another 1,800 gallons. That’s why it pays to look into rainwater harvesting techniques to keep this beneficial resource on your property.
With the monsoon storms, it's a great time to observe how water is flowing off your home and property to see areas where you can collect rainwater.
Learn more on our Rainwater Harvesting page where we direct you to all the information you need to know.
- If you get at least 1/2" of rain, turn your controller to the 'off' 'stop' or 'rain' setting to stop the watering cycle without disturbing your programs.
- If you don’t have a rain gauge, see what your neighborhood weather watchers are recording at www.rainlog.org. You can also find excellent information at the Maricopa County Flood Control rainfall data maps.
- Take advantage of free water harvesting classes being offered by local water providers through Watershed Management Group - they are a great non-profit in Tucson. Classes are offered locally or via Zoom.
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 Plant of the Month! Texas sage will burst into bloom during high humidity or rain events. That's why they are sometimes called 'Barometer Bush.' Learn more.
Looking For Ideas of What to Plant This Fall? Don't Miss our August Workshop.
August 18 from 12-1 p.m. Zoom Workshop. Plants to Provide Shade, Color, and Wildlife. Please join us for this Mesa Red Mountain Library lunchtime program featuring Environmental & Sustainability staff who will share plant selection ideas to attract birds or butterflies, provide year-round color, or help to create a cool, shady retreat. Don’t worry, these are low-water using plants that are easy to maintain too. Register at the link above to receive Zoom details.
Also, Water – Use It Wisely features a plant selection page with great resources.
Photo: Hesperaloe or Red Yucca.
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Did You Miss Our June & July Classes?
No problem! We recorded them for you. Find:
- Secrets of Summer Watering and Maintenance
- Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style in the Arizona Desert
- Summer Savings by Reducing Water and Energy Use at Home
Find our recordings and helpful links discussed in each program on our Sustainability Events Page.
Photo: Desert Marigold
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Where Does All That Water Go?
GASP! A customer called because her water bill was over $1,000. Her usage showed 124,000 gallons for a residential home.
Is it a leak in the landscape irrigation? A stuck on backflush valve in the water treatment system? A leak in the swimming pool or equipment? A running toilet when they went on vacation? A malfunction of the solar hot water system? We don't know yet!
Photo: The 16' tall tower of water jugs represents the average daily water use by each person in our area. You can count them, but it's 120 1-gallon jugs.
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SRP Shade Tree Program Resumes
August 21 or September 8: SRP is offering two online Shade Tree Planting workshops for SRP electric customers. Attend either of these programs and you will receive two trees at SRP’s shade tree pickup events in the fall. Shade trees help you save energy indoors and cool our communities!
Heat mitigation is one of the focus areas of Mesa's new Climate Action Plan. This is one easy way to do your part.
Register at SRP Free Shade Trees
Photo: Desert Willow is one of the tree options available.
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How Long Should You Run Your Sprinklers?
Each time you water your grass, be sure to water long enough to wet the soil to a depth of 6-10 inches. Applying 3/4-inch of water will do this, but how long does that take? For many pop-up sprinklers, it takes about 20 minutes, but systems vary so greatly that it's best to perform a Can Test (see pg. 5). This will determine the run time (depth) that you'll use every time you irrigate. The adjustment you'll make through the seasons will be the frequency.
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Water - Use It Wisely Has a New Look!
DYK that the Water - Use It Wisely campaign started right here in Mesa?
Today, 18 local partners work together to orchestrate messaging and spread water awareness. We are pleased to announce a fresh new look for Water – Use It Wisely that includes a new logo, vibrant new campaign colors, and a tremendous new website.
For more than twenty years, Water – Use It Wisely has worked hard to ensure the message of water conservation flows continuously into the hearts and minds of residents.
Learn more about the strategy behind the new logo and brand colors.
And, don't worry! We still have all of your favorite content. You'll find our great landscape blogs, our interactive watering guide, our drab-to-fab 10-part video series, our kids pages including the fun and colorful Tip Tank match game, and so much more!
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**Reduce your landscape water use 30 to 50 percent by adjusting your irrigation each season.** Landscape Watering by the Numbers: A Guide for the Arizona Desert will help you determine how much water to apply and how long to run your system. Visit the interactive website.
-H2O-
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