On Tuesday night, Selectmen voted to re-enact a voluntary water ban in place for Southborough. It is currently in effect, through September 22nd.
The restriction encourages residents to limit their water use. If you look into it, you might decide it’s acually the best practice for your plants and lawn.
As in past years, Selectmen request that properties at even numbered street addresses only use their sprinklers, hoses, or watering systems on even numbered days. Odd numbered houses should choose odd numbered days.
As suggested in the title, there is no enforcement. The ban is just a recommendation.
I found a great article in Popular Mechanics that actually advocates less frequent watering for the health of your grass and perennials.
With your lawn and perennials, it’s better to give them larger amounts of water at longer intervals than it is to apply small amounts of water frequently. That’s because shallow watering encourages shallow rooting. In very hot weather, a ballpark range for watering is every other day for perennials and every three to four days for shrubs. Again, make sure to monitor the soil moisture.
It also provides other great tips for reducing your water usage. One common and obvious one is watering in the early morning. But there are others. You can check it out here.
Hopefully, the rain we’ve been getting has lessened the need for watering this summer. (Though the high heat may be offsetting that.)
Above photo from Flickr by Kumaravel)
