Water Conservation

There are many simple management practices that can help conserve water and prevent water related issues.

Water can be conserved by:

• Grouping plants with similar water requirements (based on container sizes and canopy shapes)
• Ensuring even water distribution in production areas at least once per year
• Inspecting drip irrigation lines and emitters regularly 
• Respacing remaining containers (after sales occur) to minimize the area needing irrigation
• Applying water prior to complete drying to prevent stress and ensure easy rewetting 
• Maintain the leaching fraction (percentage of water that flows out of the pot) at or below 20%
• Using drip/microirrigation systems where possible because they are the most efficient irrigation systems
• Applying overhead irrigation cyclically or in pulses to increase substrate retention of water and decrease nutrient leaching
• Capturing and reusing runoff from production area
• Developing constructed wetland systems

If production area runoff is routed quickly off of your property there are a couple of steps you can perform to cheaply and effectively reduce nutrient and chemical presence:

• Vegetate runoff ditches
• Install constructed wetland systems