This column was contributed by Jennifer Cosio Arellano, water conservation program manager with the Water Resources Association San Benito County. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By registering as a BenitoLink user in the top right corner of our home page and agreeing to follow our Terms of Use, you can write counter opinions or share your insights on current issues. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Fall has made its yearly arrival and that is a sign we need to start watering our lawns less than we did during the hot summer months. During the summer, lawns typically need to be watered a maximum of three times per week. As we slowly phase into the autumn weather, we can decrease irrigation to one to two times per week. The rainy season will make sure our lawn gets enough water to flourish. Even if there is little rain during this season, the days are shorter, and your landscape will not need as much water.
In California, the best time to plant is during the fall. The soil is still warm which encourages rapid root growth. The cooler weather allows you to garden without the worry of the hot sun beating down and causing heat stress. Before planting, make sure to grade your property so water flows away from the house and into planting beds. There are areas of San Benito County where heavy clay soil is prevalent, which can make it hard to garden and let water absorb into the soil. By creating large planting mounds of well-draining soil, you can make it easier to plant and ensure your garden has the best chance to grow successfully. The best way to do so is to mix 30% organic matter to 70% of inorganic soil for California native plants.
The Water Resources of San Benito County (WRASBC) offers several rebates to assist San Benito County residents to conserve water. We offer a landscape hardware rebate where residents can get rain sensors. Rain sensors are devices that can be attached to your sprinkler system to automatically shut off your sprinkler system when it rains. This device helps us conserve water in our households by minimizing the amount of water to keep your lawn green and ensuring that we have a backup in case we forget to turn off our irrigation systems as the rainy season rolls in.
The WRASBC also offers the Turf Removal Program where residents can remove 200 to 1,000 square feet of their lawn and get paid $2 per square foot. More than 50% of water use in each household comes from watering our lawns. By opting to replace lawns with California native and drought resistant plants, we can help conserve water in our county and even save money on our monthly water bill! The WRASBC has a list of California native plants that you can obtain by giving us a call or emailing us at the phone number or email below.
If you are interested in these rebate programs, give us a call at 831-637-4378 or email jcosioarellano@sbcwd.com. Special rules apply and program funding is limited for all rebate programs.
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