Global initiative leads to local landscapes and ways to save
How are you using water around your house? Much of household water is used outdoors. And if you want to replace that lawn, some water providers offer incentives. Kathy Morrison
Everybody needs water – especially good, clean, drinkable water. Recognizing that universal fact, the United Nations declared March 22 – today – as World Water Day.
World Water Day dates back to 1994 as a way to raise global awareness about water-related issues. About half the world’s population faces severe water scarcity at least part of each year.
How can you be part of World Water Day? As the U.N. says, think globally, act locally – by making the most of every drop.
Which makes today a good time to consider your own garden’s water use and needs. In the warm months ahead, our landscapes account for about half of our total water use. Changes made now can add up to huge savings in water – and dollars – for years to come.
Tune-up your irrigation system with high-efficiency sprinkler nozzles or a smart controller. You’ll save hundreds of gallons a week and your plants will grow healthier. Several local water providers offer rebates for irrigation upgrades. Find them here: https://gbee2f.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/RWA-Incentive-Overview.pdf.
The City of Sacramento, for example, offers rebates for irrigation updates, smart irrigation controllers, rain barrels, and laundry-to-landscape graywater systems.
Or consider replacing thirsty turf with more water-wise alternatives while helping beneficial insects. Several of those same Sacramento-area water providers are offering “Cash for Grass” incentives for lawn replacement. (They’re listed on that same page as the rebates.) Find more water-wise ideas here: https://bewatersmart.info/.
As for the official World Water Day observance, this year’s commemoration puts a special twist on this event: “Water for Peace.” It spotlights how water brings people together and can be a catalyst for harmony.
Learn more here: https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day.
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Garden Checklist for week of Sept. 8
Temperatures are headed down to normal. The rest of the month kicks off fall planting season:
* Harvest tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and eggplant.
* Compost annuals and vegetable crops that have finished producing.
* Cultivate and add compost to the soil to replenish its nutrients for fall and winter vegetables and flowers.
* Fertilize deciduous fruit trees.
* Plant onions, lettuce, peas, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, bok choy, spinach and potatoes directly into the vegetable beds.
* Transplant cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well as lettuce seedlings.
* Sow seeds of California poppies, clarkia and African daisies.
* Transplant cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas, fairy primroses, calendulas, stocks and snapdragons.
* Divide and replant bulbs, rhizomes and perennials.
* Dig up and divide daylilies as they complete their bloom cycle.
* Divide and transplant peonies that have become overcrowded. Replant with “eyes” about an inch below the soil surface.
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