Daily Home Renovation Tips

Editor’s Note: To view the 500+ different energy and water conservation tips for the home we have collected, simply access our Un-Official Guide To Home Energy & Water Conservation, 2nd Edition

Yesterday, we examined the first 14 ideas in our Un-Official Guide relating to reducing the quantity of clean water from our city / town / septic tank water distribution system we use outside our house, which will cost us absolutely no money to do because they are free; yes, both water conservation and money saving tips (through lower water utility bills).

Today we examine the next collection of no cost home water conservation tips for outside the house.

Remember to use the vertical scroll bar on the listing below to view all of the home water conservation ideas for outside the home.

Number 463, Apply Less Fertilizer on Lawn. Yes, fertilizer makes the grass grow faster. But does using less fertilizer actually mean you can water the lawn any less? Perhaps in the fall. However, the down side of this suggestion is that your lawn will be more susceptible to weeds , will be more patchy, and so on. Personal preference on this one I think.

Number 464, Set Sprinklers To Not Water Road / Driveway. Sure, for some properties this is hard to do what with curving driveways and roads. However, if we take just a little time to hand water with the hose the parts of the lawn next to driveways or the street we won’t have to set the sprinkler to water concrete or asphalt and just the soil under the grass or plants.

Number 465, Water Slowly So Water Sinks In vs Running Off. If you have a lawn or garden it does take at least some time to look after it. If you water quickly then sure, it will not allow the water to sink into the soil. So, try watering in little bits. What I mean is say you are hand watering your garden. Let’s say it takes you 15 minutes to water your garden. Rather than starting at one end and going all the way to the next in one ‘go’, trying watering in say three sweeps of the garden in the same 15 minutes. That way, after each sweep of the garden the water has a chance to soak into the mulch and, more importantly, the soil before the next sweep of the hose.

Number 466, Water Plants With Watering Can Not Hose, was suggested to us by someone who felt that using the hose resulted in wasting the water and they were better able to target the plants in outdoor pots or in the garden more directly by using a watering can. They also added that it also gave them a bit of exercise going back and forth between where the potted plants / garden was located and where their hose or outdoor faucet was situated.

Number 470, Check for Lawn Sprinkler Leaks, is a good no cost idea all year round. Just because the sprinkler works fine early in the watering season does not mean that it will always work fine, without leaks, throughout the rest of the summer and fall.

Number 471, Water Lawn Less. How often do you really need to water you lawn? Every 2nd day? Every 3rd day? Only when it shows signs of minor distress? You be the judge. Just don’t water the lawn because it’s a nice evening or because you have the time.

Number 472, Turn Off Outdoor Fountain On Dry Days, and Number 473, Turn Off Outdoor Fountain on Windy Days. Both of these suggestions point to the type of outdoor conditions which can cause water to evaporate more quickly than other conditions.

Number 474, Check Soil Moisture Before Watering, is equally applicable to lawns and gardens and potted plants. What we don’t want to do is fall into the habit of simply watering because it is say, Tuesday; check first by simply looking at the soil or placing a finger on the soil to see if it sufficiently dry and in need of watering.

To complete our review of the no cost or free home water conservation tips for outside the house, simply select this link to Part 3.