Going Green, Real Estate

How To Make Sure You Don’t Waste Money Over-Watering Your Lawn

At 32 million acres, homeowner lawns are the most irrigated crop in the United States.

That’s more acreage than the state of Pennsylvania.

Water is not free, however, and the 7 billion gallons deposited on lawns each day comes at a high cost to homeowners and to the environment.

Installing a basic rain monitoring device is one inexpensive way to save money and reduce water use. The Vigoro Rain Monitor, for example, costs $15 at Home Depot and attaches to an electronic sprinkler system.

The Vigoro Rain Monitor collects rainfall in its reservoir and when a half-inch of rain has collected, the monitor seals the path between the water source and the sprinkler heads, thereby preventing unnecessary watering and wasted money.

Many lawn care experts recommend 1 inch of water per week.

Source
Create a Greener Landscape
Pat Mertz Esswein
Kiplinger’s Finance, April 2008