California is in a drought, as are many other states.  We had been saving gray water and using it on the roses and other plants, but the plan will no longer work. 

A Home Depot partner asked JD if they could come and test our water.  He agreed.  6 days later our house has a whole house soft water system.  Our water is BAD HARD!  Anyway, house water can not be used on plants because of the salt build up, so my gray water plan has been foiled.  Also, we can't save rain water.  It just doesn't rain enough here for that.

Our outside irrigation is drip.  Is it better to water for a half hour 2 times a week, or just daily for 15 minutes or so?  We have a lot of fruit trees and plants.  Some require more water than others.

What do you suggest or what works for you?

Suzi

Hey Suzi. Living in Carmel Valley for many years, I've gone through droughts more than once, and lost many trees because of it. In general, deeper watering less often is preferred, as it will encourage deeper rooting. Shallow watering often leads to shallow roots. If possible, you can divide the drip system, maybe water trees longer and deeper fewer times per week than roses or smaller plants. That, and mulch, mulch, mulch. It's raining here this morning, I hope it makes its way south to you.

DesertDance when rain barrel is empty which happens after 1 watering i have to use house water.
Our water is hard as a rock but with water softener its not bad.

When i water with hose we have a by pass on softener that lets hard water come out and plants are fine.

Martin, our water is really hard too.  Every glass or dish comes out of the dishwasher cloudy gray.  They connected our system only for the house.  All outside spigots are not connected to soft water, so we're ok with outside irrigation.  figgary, we'll go with deep watering less often.  We have 12 stations, and how they routed them is one crazy mixed up mess, LOL!  We have little colored flags marking what goes on where when each station is turned on.  There is no reason to it at all, and the only thing we can do is regulate the size of the drippers.  There are two or twelve trees on every drip station, plus assorted other plants.  JD is sure it will come to him how to regulate it all.

Mulch is important and we will take your advice on that too.

It's looking like rain this morning, and we already had a power outage, but no rain yet.

Suzi

sorry to hear about the problem. you are on the extreme side of my problem. hope we can send some rain your way. 

Hmm our water also tested hard as a rock before softener but no gray it would leave a white type film on everything.
But water softener cured that along with what wife said at the time "honey this dishwasher can wash anything"
yet i still have to wash some pots and pans !

When we venture to Chicago nowadays i can smell and taste the chlorine in it and grew up there until 1989.
Best water i ever tasted was in Virginia at someones house after long drive there i was thirsty and went to the tap and told them wow this is great water .
There reply was it comes from an underground spring one if not the largest undeground bottling operations.
We were in Amelia.

i remember ed koch drinking out of fire hydrant back in nyc. used to think nyc had the best water. i like our water fine enough... only if i can get beer instead of water out of the faucet.