Conserving Water
By: Virgil L. Jones, Master Gardener

With the likely prospect of an increase in our water rates, as well as the possibility of a hot and dry summer, now is the time to consider possible ways to conserve water.

If you are landscaping a new home or replacing shrubbery and trees around your present home, one of the best ways to use less water is to use native or adapted plants. This method of landscaping, which is increasingly popular, is called xeriscaping. Native plants have been in this area for thousands of years, surviving droughts, scorching heat, freezing cold, insects, diseases and everything else Mother Nature has thrown at them. Once established, these plants will thrive on the amount of moisture they typically get from rainfall each year, and require less of your time for maintenance.

Adapted plants are non-native plants that work well in our area because they are naturally suited to the environment. Many nurseries are beginning to stock these types of plants and can assist in making choices. Also, the Springfield Master gardeners maintain an xeriscape garden where you can observe plants suited to this type of landscaping. This garden is located on National north of Sunshine in Springfield.

Consider reducing your turf area. Lawns are good for recreation, entertainment and creating a cool green space around a house. But lawns are also the largest water user in most home landscapes, so consider replacing some areas with decks, patios, wildflowers or ground covers.

When watering, water early in the morning when the sun and wind are less intense and will steal less water through evaporation.

If using sprinklers, use ones that throw big drops of water close to the ground for greatest watering efficiency. Sprinklers that throw mist or small droplets of water high in the air lose as much as 70 percent of their water to evaporation on a hot, windy day.

By installing drip irrigation systems in hanging baskets and pots, and using soaker hoses around shrubbery, in vegetable and flower beds, it reduces in great volume the amount of water needed to keep plants healthy. They all reduce evaporation and run-off and encourage deep root growth.

Mulch around trees, shrubs and in the garden with two to four inches of tree bark, leaves, straw, compost, or other materials. Mulching protects the soil from heat, reduces evaporation, holds moisture and discourages weed growth.

Joplin residents can get ground-up tree branches as mulching material from the City of Joplin at the waste water treatment facility located just off Peace Cemetery Road in North Joplin free of charge. This mulch material is not as attractive as commercially available material, but works fine in some situations.

By following these suggestions, you not only will lessen use of water and have lower water bills, but will still be able to have colorful and attractive plants in your home landscape, as well as save time and effort in their maintenance.