Did you know April is Water Conservation Month? With all the ways you can save money on your water bill by reducing the amount of water you use, it should be called “How to Reduce Your Water Bill” Month.

One of the most important ways to reduce the amount of water you use is by inspecting your irrigation system frequently to make sure you don’t have any broken sprinkler heads that are just gushing water. In addition to that, here are a few other tips that will help you conserve water this month:

1. Water at the right time. Most areas have watering restrictions that tell you what days and times you can water – find out what yours are by visiting your local water management district’s website or giving them a call.
2. Set your timers. Watering needs change with each season. Make sure your system is set to provide the right amount of water by season.
3. Give your lawn the right coverage. Your sprinklers should each be spraying all the way to the next one to get proper coverage. Also, make sure the water is actually landing on plants, grass and shrubs – not the pavement or sidewalk.
4. Use a rain sensor. The best way to find out if your lawn received the right amount of water from a recent rainfall is by using a rain gauge. Plus, be sure a rain sensor is installed with your irrigation system so it shuts off when rainfall occurs.

These are just a few tips we can offer you on how to conserve water this month. For more info, check out the St. Johns River Management District website.

Remember back in November when we changed from daylight savings time back to eastern standard time? Remember how the watering restrictions changed with the time? Well, it’s time again to change the clocks and you know what that means…yep! Time for watering restrictions to change!

First thing you need to find out is what water management district you are in. Click here to find out. Next, you need to answer this question – do you live in the St. John’s Water Management District? If you answered yes, your watering rules change Sunday with the time.

Fortunately, the only change they’ve made are the days you can water – previously you could only water one day per week, now we can water two! Check the schedule below to see what days you can water on:

• Houses ending in an odd number (1,3,5,7,9) or that don’t have an address water on Wednesday & Saturday
• Houses ending in an even number (0,2,4,6,8) water on Thursday & Sunday

In case you have forgotten (I tend to forget), these rules still apply:

• Water no more than one hour per zone
• Water only when needed and not between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This ensures water reaches the root zone and doesn’t evaporate before it’s had a chance to soak in

If you would like to visit the St. John’s Water Management District website, click here. And don’t forget – when you reset your clocks Sunday, reset those sprinklers too!

I just received a flier at my house from the St Johns Water Management District notifying me my watering days were about to change an I wanted to be sure to pass the information along. The first step is to find out what water management district you are in, click here to find out.

Now, the next question is, do you live in the St Johns Water Management District? If the answer to that question is “yes” then there have been some important changes made to your watering restrictions. Just yesterday, Sunday, November 1st when daylight savings time changed back to Eastern Standard time something else changed too – watering restrictions for everyone in the St Johns Water Management District – including me.

Now, it seems like watering restrictions change as frequently as the season in Florida and they can be difficult to keep track of. What days can I water? How long? What time? I’m happy to tell you that the only change is to the DAY you can water.

• Houses ending in an odd number (1,3,5,7,9) or that don’t have an address water on Saturday
• Houses ending in an even number (0,2,4,6,8) water on Sunday

This means these answers still apply:

• How long can I water? Water for no more than one hour per zone.
• What time can I water? Water only when needed and not between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This ensures the water reaches the root zone and doesn’t evaporate before it’s had a chance to soak in.

After I got the notice I was worried. I JUST got my lawn to a beautiful green. My neighbors are even envious! Now I can only water ONE day? Great, my lawn is going to turn into a tumble weed jungle! After a quick call to my Massey GreenUP technician, my mind was at ease. He informed me that these new restrictions coincide with the watering recommendations that are provided during the cooler months and watering one day per week should not affect the health of my landscape. And since I’m a Massey GreenUP Irrigation customer, they’re already adjusting my timer to the new restrictions, I’m all set! Apparently your lawn is similar to a bear, it hibernates in the winter! And while it’s hibernating you need to keep feeding it and watering it, but only in small increments. Little did I know – watering your lawn too many times during the winter can cause your lawn to “catch” a disease. Yuck! Turns out, the new restrictions are good for our environment AND our lawns! Win, Win.

To visit the St Johns Water Management District website, click here. If you have any questions about how the new watering restrictions affect you, call 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739)