The drought continues in South Carolina, which makes it is more important than ever to conserve water.  Not only does it protect a limited resource, it saves you money and can even save the life of your plants and trees.  One source I found says that up to 70% of household water use is outdoors.  That gives us all a lot of room to improve. Here are some tips on how to cut back: –          Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!  Adding a layer of mulch will help planting beds retain water, and reduce run off and splashing. –          Don’t water between the hours of 10am and 4pm, or on windy days to reduce water loss through evaporation. –          Walk across your lawn.  If you can’t see your footprints, you don’t need to water. –          Does a screwdriver push into your lawn easily?  If so, it has plenty of water. –          Mow your grass to the right height.  The higher the grass, the more extensive the root system becomes. –          Invest in a rain gauge and if you have an irrigation system connect an automatic rain shut off device. –          Water deeply so you can avoid watering frequently.  Water that goes deeper promotes deep roots. –          Invest in a rain barrel to collect water from your roof. –          Only water if the top 2-3 inches of soil are dry. –          Ice cubes in hanging baskets prevent water overflow. –          Time your irrigation system to see when it reaches the point of run off.  Take off 5 minutes from the run time. –          Chose shrubs and groundcovers for sloped areas of your property.  It helps control run off. –          Chose native plants and trees for your landscape.  They will typically tolerate our hot summer weather better. –          When planting new plants and trees, look for a low water use tag at the nursery.  Consider plants and trees on how heat and drought tolerant they are and how insect and disease resistant. –          Don’t overplant your beds.  Leave room for shrubs and trees to grow by finding out their mature size. –          Plant new trees and shrubs in the fall when conditions are cooler and more rainfall is expected. –          Group plants according to their watering needs to avoid over or under watering. –          Remember that more plants die from overwatering than under watering.