This is turning out to be a historic year for heat and drought, and while we are lucky to have started out the year with higher amounts of water in our reservoirs than we did in 2011, conservation is just as important as ever to protect our drinking water sources. We all need to take part in efforts to reduce water use and not waste it. Landscapes and gardens are important and valuable parts of our homes, businesses, parks and athletic fields but we must be good stewards of water and make the most of what we do use. Consider all the possibilities to make the landscape and garden more drought tolerant, and irrigation methods more water efficient.

There are many ways to reduce water use in the home landscape, and the Earth-Kind Landscaping principles are a good place to begin: planning and design, practical turf areas, appropriate plant selection, soil improvement, efficient irrigation, effective use of mulch, appropriate maintenance, and rainwater harvesting.

In addition to designing and maintaining the landscape to make it with less water, try to find ways to recycle and reuse water, so that potable water can be reserved for other uses. This could include utilizing gray water or air conditioning condensate to water flower beds or shrubs, setting up a rain barrel for when rain returns; or even something as simple as putting a bucket in the shower to catch water while it heats up to use for plants, or emptying the melted ice from the cooler after a cookout into a potted patio plant or flower bed. Remember that every drop counts, and the more we can each make small changes in our daily habits the better off we will be in the future.

The Texas Water Code defines gray water as water discharged from showers, bathtubs, sinks (not used for food preparation or for disposal of hazardous or toxic materials) and clothes washing machines. The City of San Angelo limits the use of gray water to the washing machine only, but those living outside city limits could include the bathtub and/or bathroom sink in a gray water plan. Gray water can be a good source of water for the landscape if set up and managed properly. If there is less than 400 gallons per day of gray water flow from a single family residence, there is generally no permit required to allow gray water to flow into the landscape to water plants. Visit https://tomgreen.agrilife.org/horticulture/ to see a publication with more info.

Every drop counts, and every effort big or small to make the landscape more drought tolerant makes a big difference for our community. Apply thick mulch to beds and gardens, utilize drip irrigation instead of sprinklers, choose tough plants, reduce turfgrass area and replace with other features that need less water.

Allison Watkins is the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent for horticulture in Tom Green County. Contact her at aewatkins@ag.tamu.edu.