Conserving water while maintaining your property’s commercial landscaping offers your business several advantages. By reducing water consumption, you can significantly lower your landscaping expenses. You can also win over customers who prefer shopping with green, eco-friendly customers. Start conserving water and making your landscaping more sustainable by layering these five strategies.
1. Use a Smart Irrigation System
Conventional irrigation systems will frequently overwater your lawn and plants. They can’t apply complex watering zones, and they won’t decrease the watering cycles when there’s been recent rain. Invest in a smart irrigation system that can handle complex watering cycles, be remote-controlled by your device, and check weather and moisture conditions to calculate ideal watering levels.
2. Check for Leaks Frequently
Water leaks can waste a lot of water before they’re caught. Loose pipe joints, broken sprinkler heads, and other damaged hardware will let water escape. If the leak is below ground level, it can be weeks or even months before you notice the leak. Instead, frequently check for leaks by visually assessing your landscaping for water, muddy patches, and pools of water. You can also review your monthly water bill for sudden spikes in usage.
3. Invest in Water-Efficient Plants
One of the most popular strategies for reducing commercial landscaping water demands is to pick plants that need little to no water. Select drought-friendly trees and grasses, native plants that are well-adapted to thrive in off-seasonal rainfall, and even hardscaping elements to accent the plantings. Your landscaping can be composed entirely of drought-friendly plants, or you can replace plantings over time. Xeriscaping is a more extreme form of this trend. Select desert-friendly plants that are vibrant and colorful and need very little water throughout the year.
4. Apply Mulch
Mulch is more than a decorative element or a way to protect your trees during the winter. When you apply mulch to your garden beds or around the base of trees, it retains moisture and keeps it from evaporating away under the summer sun. Regularly apply a thick layer of mulch across your commercial landscaping. Combine it with the use of soaker hoses or weeping sprinklers that slowly release water into the ground.
5. Be Aware of Slopes That Waste Water
The layout and grading of your landscape shape how water flows across the ground. If you have steep slopes, water will quickly drip and fall away from the highest points of the slope. Then, it will either drain away or pool at the lowest points of your landscape. This means some plants will receive too little water, and some plants may receive far too much water. Customize your irrigation layout to account for slopes and grading. Smart irrigation systems will also be able to account for your landscape’s layout and control how much water different areas get.
Redesign Your Landscaping With Strategic Grounds
Smart, water-efficient landscaping is the secret to conserving water and lowering your commercial landscaping water bills every month. Reach out to Strategic Grounds Management for help installing and maintaining water-efficient landscapes at each of your commercial properties.
