Optimizing Your Waterflow

In the heat of summer, water usage becomes a hot topic (pun intended), as gardeners seek to keep plants and lawns green and healthy without running up astronomical water bills. So, what to do? Use your water more wisely! These 5 strategies will help you do it, while keeping your plants and lawn healthier and happier along the way.

Use Smart Tech to Customize Water Use

Imagine a sprinkler system that knows there’s a storm coming before you do and turns itself off. That’s the beauty of the B-hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor Irrigation Controller from Orbit, which collects local weather data using WeatherSense^® technology and automatically adjusts your watering schedule to accommodate. When manual operation is preferred, B-hyve smart timers also allow you to set up and switch between several watering programs for maximum flexibility. For added convenience and peace of mind, you can also control your B-hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor Controller remotely with a smartphone — Android or iPhone — from anywhere in the world! 

Get Greater Control of Lawn Sprinklers

Lawns require frequent watering to keep your grass lush and soft. But if you use a hose-end sprinkler, chances are you occasionally forget to turn it off and wind up wasting water. Luckily, there’s a solution for that, the B-hyve Smart Hose Watering Timer, takes care of the remembering for you. There’s a smart timer for underground sprinkler systems, too: the B-hyve XR smart indoor/outdoor sprinkler timer.

Set Up Your Plants to Water Themselves

Self-watering hacks are all over the internet, with DIY suggestions ranging from putting plants in a bathtub full of water to using upside-down soda bottles and rope wicks. Products for sale run from decorative stakes and bulbs to sophisticated self-watering pots. While these products won’t necessarily minimize your water use, they will allow you to get away for a few days of vacation. 

Monitor Your Usage Before the Water Company Does

Avoid an unpleasant surprise when the water bill comes by tracking your water usage on an ongoing basis with the Orbit Hose Water Flow Meter. Designed to fit any standard garden hose, this simple tool tracks each watering episode as well as total water consumption.

Don’t Let Site Conditions Steal Your Water

Every garden has its own unique characteristics when it comes to soil, slope, sun and shade. These, the four S’s, have a major effect on water use. For example, clay soils absorb water much more slowly than sandy soils and may need to be watered at intervals in order to reach the roots. Interval watering is likewise helpful in a hillside lawn to prevent wasteful runoff. Knowing your yard profile is key to a healthy lawn and reducing water waste. B-hyve smart watering controllers allow you to input your soil type and amount of incline to calculate optimum water use.

By putting as many of these practices as you can into place, you just might out-smart your water company.