Water Wise Denton

If you see a WaterSense Label on a product, then it is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency as a water saving tool. There are several WaterSense products you can purchase for every part of your home that uses water. A home that is fully equipped with WaterSense products can save 50,000 gallons of water or more!

For more information and a full list of WaterSense products check out:

WaterSense | US EPA

Fall and winter is the best time to start making a landscaping plan for next season, and WaterSmart landscapes or xeriscapes are the best in the long run. These landscapes are not always a gravel yard. To get some ideas, the Environmental Protection Agency created a gallery of photos of WaterSmart landscapes. Pictured below are few favorites, but you can check them all out at:

Landscape Photo Gallery | US EPA

There are a few sustainable ways to recycle water and give your flowers, herbs, or garden a variety mineral that can’t be found in store bought fertilizers.

1. Rainwater is great to give to your outdoor plants directly and collect for your indoor plants. Keep in mind, rainwater can be prone to bacteria growth. To avoid this, every month add 1 ounce of bleach to every 55 gallons of rainwater. Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours for dilution.
2. Pasta water is nutrient- and starch-rich water that is perfect for your house plants. Pasta water will have nutrients like manganese, selenium, copper, and iron. Just make sure you let the water cool down to room temperature before giving it to your plants.
3. Aquarium water is a great way to reuse your water after your next cleaning. Aquarium water will have nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Be sure to use freshwater and not saltwater.
4. Dehumidifier grey water is perfect for a few houseplants; just dump into your plants instead of down the drain!

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Winter is coming! Here are some tips to save yourself some headache later in the season.

1. Protect your pipes! You can buy faucet covers, but if not available you can wrap a towel around the faucet and use something like tape to secure it in place to insulate.
2. Put up outdoor hoses. Right before winter is a good time to drain and store your water hoses inside. Don’t forget to cover the exposed faucets.
3. Look for leaks. A very effective way to do this is turn off the water inside and outside your home, take a meter reading, wait 15 minutes, then take another reading.
4. Shut off your sprinkler. To conserve water and prevent damage to your system, turn off your irrigation. If your system has a main shut off, turn off the water supply to the system, wrap any exposed pipe, and drain your lines.

It’s time to start thinking about your tulips and hyacinths. Right now, in November, put your bulbs in the refrigerator to be ready to plant in late December and early January. Once planted, your new flowers should be emerging by late winter or early spring.

In the winter, warm season grasses like Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Zoysia go dormant. Dormancy is period of rest that grasses use to survive unfavorable conditions like the winters. During this time, the grass stores energy in stems and roots. You don’t need to water your grass even when it turns brownish gold. Just embrace the gold!

With below freezing temperatures common here in North Texas, it’s important to keep your backflow device protected all winter. Like other plumbing fixtures that sit outside, as water freezes it can break pipes leading to significant water leaks that often can go undetected for weeks.

You may recognize backflow devices from your yard, but many are unaware of the important role they play in keeping drinking water safe. There are several different scenarios which can lead to water running from your irrigation system back into the water supply system. This can introduce contaminants that make water unsafe to drink. Keeping these protected and inspected annually can go a long way to ensuring safe drinking water for your family and community.

Take a look at the graphic below describing how to safely winterize the backflow device in your yard.

When the temperatures drop, so do the leaves; this is called dormancy. When plants go into dormancy, it is essentially a hibernation. Plants will store energy and shed foliage, making it seem lifeless. The importance of plants going into dormancy is water conservation, pest prevention, and, ultimately, continued survival. To have a beautiful landscape next spring without replanting, try North Texas native plants! Natives are much more adaptive to the climate we have than non-natives. They go dormant prior to long periods of freezing temperatures. This protects the plants from a harsh freeze. For an extra layer of protection add a layer of mulch!

For more information on native plants for your area, check out the Native Plant Society of Texas. npsot.org/resources/native-plants/native-plants-database/

Aeration is the process of creating small holes in the soil. Aerating your lawn will promote deep root growth, help remove some of the thatch, or layer of dead material, increase soil nutrients, and reduce runoff in your lawn. Fall is the best time to aerate your lawn and it is best to fertilize afterwards. If you do fertilize, make sure to use a winter specific fertilizer.

Mechanical aerators can be several hundred dollars, but hand aerators like the picture below can be as low as $20.