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OUTDOOR CONSERVATION

When should I water?
Evaporation loss can be 60 percent or higher during the day, so watering must be done between 6pm and
8 am on your scheduled day, as restrictions are in place from the water management district.

Systems should only be operated when the lawn begins to show signs of stress. This will encourage deeper root
growth, which will help to develop more drought tolerant law and landscaping. It will also save water, which protects our water resources and provides savings on water bills. Signs of stress, include:
• lingering footprints or mower tracks
• grass blades or leaf blades beginning to close lengthwise
• the top few inches of soil feeling dry

If a particular zone begins to show signs of stress, only set the irrigation system to irrigate the stressed zone, don’t run the entire system. Flower beds and dry spots on the lawn should be hand watered with a hose using an automatic shut off nozzle.

How much water does my lawn need?
Most Florida lawns need approximately one-half of an inch of water per application to replenish the grass. The amount of irrigation varies depending on the time of year, rainfall and soil conditions.

To determine how long it takes for your irrigation system to deliver approximately one-half inch of water, use the “can” method”.
• Place tuna (or similar sized) cans around the yard and the measure the wate collected in half an hour.
• If some cans have more water than others, distribution is not even.
• If you get 1 inch of water after running a zone for 30 minutes, you know you only need to run that zone for 15 minutes to get half an inch.

Click here for the recommended zone run times

Your irrigation system
• Learn to operate your irrigation system using the Free DVD “Maintaining Hunter Sprinkler Systems” provided to you at your Irrigation System Orientation. Additional copies can be picked up at any Village Center or Sumter Landing Community Development District office.

• Check your irrigation timer for proper settings every month to be sure that it is operating on the proper day and time and no “extra” start times are accidentally turned on.

• Check rain sensors monthly to be sure they are not clogged with debris.

• Check to be sure your irrigation timer is not set on “Bypass”, which will disable the function of the rain sensor.

• Inspect irrigation head operation every month.

Manage your lawn and landscaping to conserve water
• Cut your grass at the highest recommended height (4” for St. Augustine or Bahia, 2” for Empire Zoysia.)

• Mow regularly, cutting no more than one-third of the grass length to encourage grass roots to grow deeper and grass blades to hold moisture.

• Keep mower blades sharp. Dull blades tear grass, opening it to disease, and cause it to appear tan and ragged.

• Using drought tolerant plants in your landscape can significantly reduce irrigation demand and can reduce the likelihood of plant injury due to drought stress.

Click here for a list of drought-tolerant and Florida-friendly list of plants

INDOOR CONSERVATION

In order to help you save money on water bills and help to protect our natural resources, your home in The Villages has been installed with water conserving low–flow fixtures, such as toilets, showerheads and faucets. There are also many things that you can do to help conserve water inside your home.

Tips for Saving Water in the Bathroom
• Insects, tissue and other similar waste should be disposed of in the trash, instead of the toilet. This will avoid unnecessary flushing.
• When running a bath, close the drain first. The initial burst of cold water will be warmed by the hot water as the tub fills.
• Turn off the water while brushing teeth, shaving, etc.

Tips for Saving Water in the Kitchen
• Only operate the dishwasher when you have a full load.
• Use your garbage disposal sparingly.
• When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water and fill the rinsing sink to one-third or one-half full—avoid letting the water run continuously in the rinsing sink.

Tips for Saving Water in the Laundry
• Select the minimum setting required per load for washers with variable settings.
• Use the shortest wash cycle for lightly soiled loads; normal and permanent press wash cycles use more water.
• Pre-treat stains to avoid rewashing.