Replace Lawn
Lawns are the biggest outdoor water user for many homes. If you live in an area with scarce water resources, replacing your lawn can be one of the best ways to save precious water resources. There are many great alternatives to lawns that can provide a wonderful outdoor environment for your home.
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
Replacing 1,000 sq. ft. of lawn with drought-tolerant plants can save up to 20,000 gallons of water a year or more. Even better, in the process, you get a new beautiful yard! There are many beautiful alternatives to lawns that will provide an enjoyable environment for your home.
Lawns often take up considerable landscape space in our yards. Many homeowners realize that the only time they spend on their lawn is when they’re out mowing it! Once you consider removing the lawn, it opens up whole new possibilities of what you can do with the space. Not only will you save time, money and water, but you may end up loving your yard even more!
1Plan your outdoor space
Reclaim your space & make a plan. Consider the possibilities! Think about your lawn, both front and back, and all the ways you could use the space. Some possibilities—an area for a table and chairs for eating or relaxing, a beautiful garden with more diversity of plants and trees, a vegetable garden, fruit trees, or a rock or sculpture garden. Think about what will be most enjoyable for your family and then start planning. Here are a few ideas:
Go native. Replacing your lawn with native or drought-tolerant plants that require little to no irrigation can be a huge water savings. What are native plants? Plants that grow naturally in your area so they are suited to grow with the natural rainfall as their only water supply. For native plants, you might need to water them initially when you plant, but after that they are often ok to survive on regular rainfall. There is one exception—many areas are seeing changes in rainfall amounts, so check with your local nursery or a landscape designer to choose plants that will be happy and healthy with any climate changes happening in your area.
Choose drought-tolerant plants. Another option is drought-tolerant plants. These plants are not necessarily native but are known to require very little water use.
Check with your local nursery or landscape designer to find the best native and drought tolerant plants for your area. You can also check the Plant Hardiness Zone map as a guide for choosing plants.
Consider artificial grass. If having a lawn area is something important to your family, consider artificial turf as a lawn alternative. Artificial turf offers a low-maintenance, weed-free playing surface that does not require fertilizer or water and is well-suited for normal recreational yard activities. Artificial turf can provide a safe place for children and pets to play and can also be useful for families with grass allergies.
Although artificial turf offers special benefits, there are pros and cons. It still needs to be manufactured and will eventually end up in a landfill. Planting a water-wise garden with drought-tolerant or native plants attracts beneficial insects, provides food and habitat for insects and birds, prevents runoff, improves soil quality, reduces climate emissions, and improves air quality. Artificial turf is a great choice if turf grass is necessary, however, a natural garden is best if you have the option.
2Replace your lawn and enjoy!
Once you make your plan, install your new yard! Here are some things to consider:
DIY or hire? Consider if you want to do the work yourself or hire a professional. This will likely depend on the size of your yard, what you want to replace your lawn with, your budget and your comfort (and desire) to tackle outdoor gardening projects. Larger, complex projects may require a professional landscaper.
Cost. The cost to replace a lawn is around $2.00 - $10.00 per square foot or more, depending on the size of lawn removed and the replacement. Many cities in areas with scarce water resources offer big rebates for replacing your lawn with other low water options. Check the resources section below or with your local water authority for rebate information.
Congrats! Enjoy your beautiful new yard and the savings.
Water saving tips for lawns. If swapping your lawn isn’t in the budget right now, there are still ways to maintain a grass lawn on significantly less water. Lawns can usually thrive on up to 50% less water than they often receive, as long as they are adequately watered once a week or so.
- Mow less. One way to allow lawns to conserve water is to adjust the amount they are normally mowed. It’s much like human hair after a shower—the shorter the hair, the more quickly it dries. This applies to your lawn, too! Avoid the crew cut and mow no more than a third of the leaf blade, or if possible mow less often, especially when it’s particularly dry out. This will allow your lawn to hold to as much moisture as possible, avoiding those telltale yellow and brown patches.
- Spot check and water less. If some areas are in dire need, tend to those particular spots with a watering can instead of reaching for the hose or turning the sprinklers on. Avoid watering during the day, as most of the moisture is likely to evaporate before it’s made an impact. Instead, water after sundown or early morning, allowing the lawn to fully benefit from the water. Another way to go if you really want to keep your lawn is subsurface drip irrigation. This is a big project, but if done right can really reduce water needed to maintain a lawn.