We’ve got a couple of problems in America. Well, far more than a couple. But let’s focus on two particular problems for a moment.
Both of these problems have to do with water — quantities of water, to be more specific.
Problem One…
The worst of these water-related problems is quite simple: There’s not enough water to go around. In some parts of the country that’s not a major problem…yet. But in other parts of the country, it has become a problem of historic proportions.
Certain areas of the country — California, most notably — have suffered for years from record-breaking droughts. We can’t say that it’s never been drier in California since recorded history only goes back so far. But we can say that there’s never been a worse drought since weather recordkeeping began. And that goes back far more than a century.
Even worse, there’s no end in sight. Scientists can’t offer even a glimmer of hope that this devastating drought is going to end anytime soon. On a global scale, in fact, the problem is expected to grow far worse.
Even now, it’s estimated that more than 2 billion people do not have enough water to meet their daily needs. Many prognosticators predict that the competition for water will become the #1 source of global conflicts in the coming years.
Problem Two…
The second problem is considerably more complicated than the first problem. And yet it’s very directly related to the first.
Simply stated, problem two is this: We don’t really know how much water we need. Not exactly, anyway.
As a result, it’s likely that homeowners across the nation tend to drastically overwater their lawns and landscapes. It’s thought that in many cases we’re dumping as much as twice the water needed on lawns, gardens, and landscapes.
You can see why problem #2 is so closely related to problem #1!
So how much water does your lawn and landscape need? The truthful answer is that nobody really knows for sure. But some scientists are working to find out.
At Texas A&M, for example, a project is underway to get a real handle on the amount of water that common landscaping and gardening plants really need. For each plant grown in the project, they’re going to grow the plant in two separate plots:
- A plot where the plant receives typical quantities of water
- A plot where the plant receives only half of that amount
They want to find out how little water the plants can receive without showing signs of stress such as wilting or browning.
Certainly, a worthy set of experiments. It’ll be interesting to see the results.
And a very timely set of experiments, too. Because the way things are looking, most land-dwelling creatures living on the planet are going to have to be able to get by on considerably less water in future years.
How to Slash Your Water Usage Right Now
We may not know exactly how much water our lawns and landscapes need — at least not yet. Maybe these experiments will help fill that knowledge gap.
But even so, did you know that you can slash your lawn and landscape irrigation by as much as 50%, and still be assured that you’re giving your plants plenty of water? You can do that with TLC’s Hydrawise or K-Rain WiFi smart controllers.
And then you’ll have a head start on getting by with less water — something that it appears everyone will have to do in future years.
TLC now offers K-Rain and Hydrawise controllers for new systems and for retrofit to existing systems. We think it’s about time that our customers had access to a SMART irrigation system. Call now at 410-721-2342 for a FREE estimate!