Dealing with droughts/water shortages (neighborhood, garden, water bill)

[MckinneyOwnr]

Water once a week. My sprinkles are set for 25 minutes per zone... and my grass is greener than my surrounding neighbors who water twice a week, 10-15 min each time.

You are allowed to wash a car with a hose attachment under drought conditions, but it's not as efficient as taking your car to a car wash (though it may be cheaper.) For my SUV's, I take them to the car wash, it's $12 around here and saves me a ton of time, well worth it. For our smaller cars, I do it myself in the driveway.

Long showers... 30-40 min is pretty excessive. I take what I consider to be a very long shower and it's usually 15-20 min. I hope you have a shower head that is efficient at least.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Mr. Chad

And as long as nobody is peeping in my bathroom window to report me for taking my 30-40 minute shower
I'll continue taking my long showers.


I definitely don't want to get mentioned in the paper for this lol

Lord knows you should. 30-40 minutes? Really?

[skids929]

This is what you're concerned about before moving to DFW? How long your showers can be? Hey, to each their own I guess, just gives me a chuckle.

You're from NYC correct? Even in the Northeast, where we are blessed with water, there are restrictions on water usage, this is not just in DFW. Responsible use of water, pretty much anywhere in the country is a municipal requirement now. Unless you have some natural means of replenishment in your property.

No one is going to tell you you can't wash your car, although a pressure washer uses very little water by comparison..As far as how much to water a lawn..I can't for the life of me imagine once a week watering is enough in DFW. I have an irrigation system, with 8 zones, a couple with the water efficient MP rotator heads, and my minimum is 3 times a week in Summer months here in the Northeast, absolute MINIMUM to prevent burnout. Maybe DFW clay soil is more forgiving than the rock I live on. But I have seen what happens to the soil in DFW during the firey cauldron of hatred that the weather becomes in Summer.

Might as well just not bother watering a lawn would be my take, and to make sure you have drought tolerant grass species and just live with the reality that water is limited-everywhere.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Grass is pretty resilient in TX, after hundreds of years of being acclimated to the heat I guess. Even last year, when we had 70+ days of 100+ degree temperatures, only for one month did I have to water twice a week, so that was an additional 4 times. It was only the front yard that needed it, the back and side yards get shade for significant portions of the day.

[Mr. Chad]

Originally Posted by Pete53FR

Watering deep is to water heavy for 20 to 30 minutes and move on. When the water goes deep the roots follow it down and you actually don't need as much water as when you water a lot but not heavy. I think that 1/4" inch is considered deep.

Thanks for clearing this up for me.

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

Water once a week. My sprinkles are set for 25 minutes per zone... and my grass is greener than my surrounding neighbors who water twice a week, 10-15 min each time.

You are allowed to wash a car with a hose attachment under drought conditions, but it's not as efficient as taking your car to a car wash (though it may be cheaper.) For my SUV's, I take them to the car wash, it's $12 around here and saves me a ton of time, well worth it. For our smaller cars, I do it myself in the driveway.

Long showers... 30-40 min is pretty excessive. I take what I consider to be a very long shower and it's usually 15-20 min. I hope you have a shower head that is efficient at least.

Thanks for clarifying on the watering issue. I also agree with you about taking the car to a car wash. $12 is something I am willing to pay for the convenience of having the car washed right away. Are there hand wash places around?

As for the long showers, yes, I do have a water efficient shower head. I sometimes want to switch it out so that I get more water pressure, but for now it's not that important.

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Lord knows you should. 30-40 minutes? Really?

Yes, on days where I do take long 30-40 minute showers I brush my teeth, shampoo & condition my hair, and shave my beard, and soap up and rinse all at once.

Originally Posted by skids929

This is what you're concerned about before moving to DFW? How long your showers can be? Hey, to each their own I guess, just gives me a chuckle.

You're from NYC correct? Even in the Northeast, where we are blessed with water, there are restrictions on water usage, this is not just in DFW. Responsible use of water, pretty much anywhere in the country is a municipal requirement now. Unless you have some natural means of replenishment in your property.

No one is going to tell you you can't wash your car, although a pressure washer uses very little water by comparison..As far as how much to water a lawn..I can't for the life of me imagine once a week watering is enough in DFW. I have an irrigation system, with 8 zones, a couple with the water efficient MP rotator heads, and my minimum is 3 times a week in Summer months here in the Northeast, absolute MINIMUM to prevent burnout. Maybe DFW clay soil is more forgiving than the rock I live on. But I have seen what happens to the soil in DFW during the firey cauldron of hatred that the weather becomes in Summer.
Might as well just not bother watering a lawn would be my take, and to make sure you have drought tolerant grass species and just live with the reality that water is limited-everywhere.

I also noticed that the grass there is not as soft a the grass up here in the Northeast.

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

Grass is pretty resilient in TX, after hundreds of years of being acclimated to the heat I guess. Even last year, when we had 70+ days of 100+ degree temperatures, only for one month did I have to water twice a week, so that was an additional 4 times. It was only the front yard that needed it, the back and side yards get shade for significant portions of the day.

Good to know!

[TX75007]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

Grass is pretty resilient in TX, after hundreds of years of being acclimated to the heat I guess. Even last year, when we had 70+ days of 100+ degree temperatures, only for one month did I have to water twice a week, so that was an additional 4 times. It was only the front yard that needed it, the back and side yards get shade for significant portions of the day.

None of the common yard grasses in TX are native to TX or the US. Both bermuda and st augustine require several feet of water during the growing season to survive.

If what you are saying is true, then you have a very well designed and maintained sprinkler system. Or you or your neighbor has a substantial subsurface water leak. Or both.

Most people lost most or all of their yard last year and many are struggling now. Those that are making it are watering every other day.

In general, if you have a yard with grass, then half of your total bill will be watering needs for your yard. If you can get a zero lot line home, then you will save several hundred a year in water bills.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by TX75007

None of the common yard grasses in TX are native to TX or the US. Both bermuda and st augustine require several feet of water during the growing season to survive.

If what you are saying is true, then you have a very well designed and maintained sprinkler system. Or you or your neighbor has a substantial subsurface water leak. Or both.

Most people lost most or all of their yard last year and many are struggling now. Those that are making it are watering every other day.

In general, if you have a yard with grass, then half of your total bill will be watering needs for your yard. If you can get a zero lot line home, then you will save several hundred a year in water bills.

Ha! Not in my case. I water once a week. I've always watered once a week. I have neighbors that water every other day (against city code, BTW) and my grass looks just as good as their's does. Having said that, I am slowly building beds out into my lawn. My kid doesn't need the play space anymore and it feels wasteful to have a yard full of St. Augustine when we have to deal with water shortages here. But, back to the subject, water once a week and deeply. That way your grass developes a great root system that can deal with our droughts.

[DtX4415]

The Dallas City Council — let’s give ’em a hand when it’s due, folks — led the way, enacting the permanent twice-a-week mandate with a vote last week. Mayor Mike Rawlings said this simple no-brainer move could make Dallas’ currently available water resources last an extra decade. Arlington, Fort Worth and Irving — other large cities whose mayors participated in the nonbinding agreement — were expected to follow suit.

The plan derailed this week when a little band of paranoid zealots pitched such a walleyed public fit that timid Arlington council members were too scared to even vote on the measure. Look, it’s one thing to show up at City Hall and say, “Hey, I don’t wanna do that.” Don’t change my garbage schedule, don’t raise my taxes, don’t tell me when to water the grass. Thus do the mighty wheels of democratic government revolve.

But hysterical opponents of the measure didn’t address the practicalities of the issue. They went into full-bore black helicopter mode, raving as if government oppressors were scheming to ban the flag or outlaw church.

“It’s just plain un-American,” griped one man, who accused the city of attempting to “handcuff” residents with water restrictions. “You guys have lost your minds,” another woman angrily huffed. “This is America!”

They went on like that — “insane,” “outrageous,” they thundered — cowing the Arlington council so thoroughly that it left the poor guy who had made the original proposal hanging out on a limb. There was an embarrassing silence as nobody would even second his motion. People of Arlington, breathe in, deeply. OK, let it out. This isn’t about turning us into a police state. It’s about adopting a uniform plan for running the lawn sprinklers so we don’t waste water. Yes, the emergency has receded since rainfall replenished water supplies this spring, but the threat of shortage, like it or not, is a permanent fixture in our lives. This was a chance to be intelligently prepared; it was an admirable opportunity to showcase regional cooperation......

Foil-hat conspiracists in Arlington kill sensible water-management agreement | Jacquielynn Floyd Columns - News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News

[MckinneyOwnr]

I hate it when uneducated people get fired up about something and ruin it for the rest of us.

[5stones]

Most people lost most or all of their yard last year and many are struggling now. Those that are making it are watering every other day.

Most? really. Not here in Keller, no one in my neighoborhood or even that I know lost thier grass last year. some lost trees and bushes, but the grass came back.

last summer i resorted to watering 2x a week 30 minutes per station and all is well. Right now we are watering 1x per week and had top mow again!

Listen to the lawn whisperer...2x a week is enough. But you want about 30 minutes per station (my lawn guy says 40, but 30 has been good enough for us) Like others have said you want the roots of grass and trees to grown deep (where the water is!!) so watering everyday for 10min per station is actually more harmful since the roots will be shallow and get burned and cause weak tree growth.