Pledge Item 3: Water with the Weather

Tips

Tip 1: Start ​​by thinking about how often you water your plants.

Even for your thirstiest plants, you should water no more than 2x pe​r week, in the hottest part of the year. In cooler months, you can water far less.

​Learn more about water quantities for your plants with our partner, Water Use It Wisely.

Tip 2: Next, time your watering for efficiency.

When you water, make sure to water at night or befo​​re the sun comes up. This way, the water won't evaporate before your plants get a drink!

Learn about how the wrong time of day can waste water by visiting this page from our partner Water Use It Wisely.

Tip 3: Then, pace your watering for efficiency.

If you experience runoff during watering, change your schedule to run multiple short irrigation sessions.

​Learn more about appropriate irrigation rates and how water that is applied too quickly can be wasted by visiting this page from our partner Water Use It Wisely.

Tip 4: Remember, if it is raining, you shouldn't be watering!

When it rains, turn off your irrigation contr​​oller. You can skip your next plann​​​ed watering day, or in general, just wait a week!

Tip 5: Most importantly, choose desert-adapted or low water-use plants!

When planting, consider choosing desert-adapted an​​​d low water-use plants, which are perfect for the Sonoran Desert! These plants will need very little extra water, which means less time, money, and water spent caring for your landscape.

​​To get inspiration when choosing plants or designing a conservation landscape, visit our Desert Landscapes in your Front Yard webpage.

Tip 6: Sign up for monthly text reminders from our partner, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association.​

Their text service can help you every month to water better by thinking about the weather! They make it even easier to water efficiently.