If you haven’t watched the news lately then you might not know that we are in a major drought in California. I wish there was a way we could get some of the excess rain water from Texas and Utah here to California to fill our rivers, lakes and reservoirs, but no one has figured out how to do that yet. 🙁
We are having major water usage cut backs (36% in our city) so I’m having to get creative this year for how I water all my flowers. Every year our gardener plants flowers along side our walkway but since we can’t water our lawns every day now, I’m having to come up with ideas for how to save water when watering plants. Enter the HomeRight Tank Sprayer.
Usually when I see a tank sprayer I think of weed killer or fertilizer but when I saw this post on 11 Magnolia Lane about using it for water only, it gave me a great idea! The tank sprayer is the perfect way to water my plants without having to waste a bunch of water!
Step #1
Fill the tank sprayer up with water. I only fill mine about 1/2 way each time because water is not light and it get’s pretty heavy to carry.
Step #2
Adjust the spray nozzle to the spray pattern that you want. I use more of a mist setting so I don’t damage my flowers. Then pump the tank sprayer to build up pressure in the tank so it will spray well.
Step #3
Push down on the trigger to release the water over the flower. Use as much water as you need to on each flower, I usually count to about 5 seconds (1, 1,000, 2, 1,000, etc.) for each flower. For my ferns I spray them a little longer because they need more moisture.
Once you have watered all your flowers put the tank sprayer back in the garage and leave the remaining water for next time. You’ll be amazed at how little water you use this way. No water is wasted, all the water goes directly on the flowers, unlike when you use a hose, which is a perfect solution for saving water in a year of drought!
If you live in a drought state I’d love to hear your water saving ideas too!
Here are some other great uses for the HomeRight Tank Sprayer –
Now it’s your turn to win a HomeRight Tank Sprayer! What would you use it for if you won?
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I always water early in the morning before the sun rises – lets the water absorb without the sun drying it up!
Great idea!
I am not sure about how to save water while watering your yard. But we tend to take baths instead of showers, and that definitely cuts back on water usage. Not everyone likes baths. But doing a bath instead of a shower half the time still saves water. Thanks for the flower watering tip!
I try to incorporate native plants in my garden. Watering in the early morning also helps.
I use a old sprinkling can to water my flowers and that way the hose isn’t wasting all that water. I also use any left over water from anything that doesn’t have soap or any kind of chemicals in it to water my indoor plants and flowers. (Ex. if someone is drinking water and doesn’t finish their drink they know to dunk the leftovers on a plant instead of down the drain.) We have also used the water in the kiddie pool if it was getting to the point where it needs cleaned up. (We do have a little cover so we don’t have to dump it all the time but the kids do take grass in and out) we will use the water in the pool to water plants/flowers with.
Great ideas! Thank you!
we try to buy plants that do not need a lot of watering.
My tip is to only run the dishwasher and laundry machine when they are completely full.
Great tip! I do the same thing. 🙂
I have taken one of my pet peeves and turned it into a water saver… My family will fill a glass with water and drink 1/4-1/2 of the glass, set it down somewhere in the house and leave it…and then an hour later, find their glass, dump the water out and start all over again…about 1 month ago, I cleaned out a milk gallon that I now keep on the window sill in the kitchen, instead of dumping un-drunk, room temp, ‘stale’ water down the drain, my kids and I (My husband is still forgetting) will pour the water into the milk gallon, when the gallon gets full, my son (he’s my little gardener) will take it out and water our flowers and succulents in the front of the house. We were all shocked that we were filling the gallon up in a day, this was also a good lesson in water wasting, and my kids will now only fill up their glasses of water 1/2 way, we are still doing this, but filling our gallon up slower.
One thing we have yet to do, but may do this next weekend, is aerate our yard, you have to rent a little rolling machine thing that puts holes in your yard. Aerating is healthy for your yard and helps break up the soil so it will absorb more water, rather than water just sitting on top of the soil and evaporating.
That’s a GREAT idea! I am definitely going to use that one! Thank you Kiera. 🙂
We use a sprayer on the hose that has a trigger. The only problem with that is the LONG hose. This is a much better idea! We water in the evening so it has time to soak in before the sun comes up.
Here in SoCal we have the worst drought ever. I would use that spray can (which I think is marvelous!) to water potted plants. Mine are mostly succulents but that doesn’t mean that they don’t need to be watered sometimes.
Sorry forgot to add my ‘tip’! – “When ice cubes are leftover from your drink, don’t throw them out. Pour them on a plant.” – same goes for old water in the tea kettle.
Sorry again (!), wrong link: http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/
Not only waiting to run the washer or dishwasher when only full, I try and do it at off peak hours like the middle of the night.
I save the water when rinsing fruits and veggies and putting it on my outside plants. Also, when I boil eggs I save that water as well.
I set buckets out to catch rain water to water the plants.
My boys drink a lot of ice water, but once it warms up they want ‘fresh’ water. I’ve trained them to pour the ‘old’ water in a Disney popcorn bucket (because it’s cute and has a lid). It isn’t much, maybe a 1/2 gallon every 2 days, but it isn’t going down the drain. I use that to water plants, both indoor and out.
we water before sunrise but only when necessary
I also use my left over blocks of ice or cubes and add them to my plants…
Not to let my kids water! They love the job but waste a lot!
My best tip is to water the plant in the evening or early morning hours. This is the best time to water as the sun in the day time will dry up more of the water. You will water less and therfore use less water.
My tip is to not water during hottest part of the day and have a rain water collection barrel just in case.
This sure would be handy, I’ll have to look into getting one for my garden.
Rain barrels, which allow for garden water conservation, protect the environment, and help you save money.
I would use it to water my plants liked out do. It is so cumbersome to try to drag the hose around to all the plants. The hose is always kinking and not spraying properly. Very irritating. I think my plants would get watered more often if I had your gadget instead of the hose fight! Thanks for the chance to win!
I fill the kettle when I run the water to make it hot for dishes. I also try to water my plants with the water left over in glasses.
We have a rain barrel. It is wonderful to collect rain for later use.
Using a rain barrel to collect any and all run-off water!
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Hello,
The best way to save even more is use your water when you shower. Put a bucket in the shower with you to collect the water that runs off and use that. We had an outdoor watering ban in Georgia a few years ago and that is how I kept my flowers alive! If you give your kids a bath use that water.
Great idea! I will have to start using my daughter’s bath water! I never would have thought to do that. 🙂
Water when the sun’s not out for maximum effectiveness.
I adjusted my sprinklers to hit only the lawn, not the sidewalk or the front porch. I also scaled back on my sprinklers’ run time by two to three minutes.
While waiting for water to get to right temp when taking a shower I sometimes collect the water from the shower head