Want to save money on your water bill in Scottsdale? Simply stop over-watering your plants. People who have recently moved to the Southwest often over-water their plants and grass based on their experiences from greener climates. It’s a common and costly mistake.
Desert plants in North Scottsdale
Here are some things to consider:
- most landscape design in the Southwest desert is water efficient. A winter visitor may be surprised to realize that winter Bermuda grass should only be watered every three to four weeks.
- most established plants can survive on our annual rainfall.
- during the monsoon season (typically in July and August) you can set your irrigation controller to off or rain without it changing the programmed cycles.
- only in an extreme dry period would you want to do supplemental watering, but that is rare even here in the desert.
- plants that are over-watered can mimic plants that aren’t getting enough water, so unfortunately they are watered again.
A great online resource is Landscape Watering by the Numbers, A Guide for the Arizona Desert. Or you can stop by a city municipality and pick up the free booklet for the two Water Wisdom charts to post on your refrigerator as a reminder to stop over watering.
Did you know, Maricopa County offers a Master Gardener program?
You don’t need an expensive gardener to care for your irrigation and lawn. There are many free resources online: U of A’s Cooperative Extension, The City of Scottsdale’s Water Conservation Office (480-312-5650), and Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (602-248-8482.)
We are Scottsdale real estate agents who specialize in Arizona golf communities. Reach out to us if we can serve you in our area.
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