Thinking About Over-Seeding This Fall?

Before you plant that winter ryegrass, consider skipping it. Here’s why:

Why Skip It?

• Save Money: Ryegrass means extra seed, water, and higher sewer bills.

• Protect Your Lawn: Over-seeding stresses Bermuda grass—let it rest and regain strength.

• Conserve Water: Rye needs water every 3–5 days. Dormant Bermuda only needs it once a month. That’s up to 19,000 gallons saved over winter!

• Avoid Hassles: Over-seeding can cause germination issues, irrigation problems, and more.

• Set a Good Example: We live in a desert. Choose a low-water landscape and qualify for rebates!

 Smart Water Tips

• Use desert-friendly plants and drip irrigation

• Water less in fall—plants need less

• Group plants by water needs

• Use mulch to reduce evaporation

• Reuse water when possible (like from fish tanks!)

• Limit fertilizer—it increases water demand

Turf Conversion or Artificial Turf?

The City of Avondale does not give rebates for replacing grass with hardscapes such as  rock, decomposed granite, pavers, or other non-living features such as artificial turf.

We do give rebates for completely removing grass and converting to xeriscape landscape or a mix of xeriscape (living desert plant material) and decorative low water use features such as rock gardens or artificial turf, as long as your design meets the rebate guidelines and you do not start your project before getting approval. 

Email: savewater@avondaleaz.gov to learn more.

Rethink the winter lawn. Save water, money, and effort—while supporting a sustainable Avondale.

Please see our partner site from Water use it Wisely for info on grass vs artificial turf

Grass and Artificial Turf: Advice from Water Use it Wisely.

Landscape Wisely: Read more on the 10 reasons artificial turf may not be the right choice

The City of Avondale does not give rebates for removing grass and only adding in hardscapes such as  rock, decomposed granite, pavers, or other non-living features.

We do give rebates for completely removing grass and converting to xeriscape or alternatively a mix of xeriscape (living desert plant material) and decorative low water use features such as rock gardens or artificial turf

Please follow the approval process for obtaining a grass to xeriscape rebate. A preliminary application must be submitted prior to any work started. Please see the rebate page for more info and and a full description of qualifications but here are a few things you must know first.

Xeriscape plants must be selected from the Phoenix AMA Low Water–Use Plant List published by the Arizona Department of Water Resources. For more information please call Avondale's Water Conservation Office at 623.333.4422.

At maturity, low-water-use plants chosen from the AMA list, in combination with other aesthetic low-water-use features, such as rock gardens, must cover 75% of the Xeriscape area.

Large areas of weedy or unplanted bare soil do not qualify for a rebate.

The Water Conservation Office will verify coverage during the pre-approval process. Existing plants may incorporated into the design and contribute to coverage, provided they are on the approved plant list.

Please see the rebate page for the application form and more details 

Did you know that your home can waste MORE water if your irrigation is not maintained or set properly? 

Here are tips on how to do a sprinkler spruce up with EPA watersense. 

Designing a Water-Wise Irrigation System from Water Use it Wisely

A properly designed drip irrigation system will save you time and money because your system will be more efficient and won’t waste water. Learn more about irrigation design and irrigation installation in this AMWUA Xeriscape guide. Here are our favorite design tips:

• Use separate valves for turf and plant areas. Group plants with similar water needs on the same valve. Ideally, trees should be on a separate valve from shrubs and groundcover.
• Make sure a backflow preventer is installed to prevent irrigation water from backing up into your home drinking water supply.
• Avoid oddly shaped or narrow turf areas (under 10 feet wide). These are difficult to water efficiently.
• Install emitters around the dripline of the plant, which is the area under the outside of the plant canopy. Install enough emitters at the correct sizes to wet the root zone. At maturity, large trees may require 12 or more emitters. Small or newly planted trees may only need 3 – 5 emitters. Visit our online Plant Watering Guide for more detail.

• When installing a drip system, don’t exceed 200 feet of poly tubing from valve to end cap. Don’t exceed a total flow of 200 gallons per hour per valve.
• Don’t extend micro-tubing (spaghetti line) more than 6 feet.

Water and Code Compliance Information: 

• It is illegal to discharge your pool or spa water into the street
• A home lawn sprinkler uses about 10 gallons per minute.
• Sprinkler or irrigation water cannot run-off into the streets. If you receive a notice, here is the next step you need to take: Code Compliance Process
• A broken sprinkler head can lose up to 12 gallons per minute. 
• Remember reporting a violation helps us conserve our most precious resource, water! Contact code compliance to report any code violations: Report a Violation
• A reverse osmosis water treatment system can use up to 5 gallons for every gallon of filtered water it produces. 
• A ½ inch diameter garden hose delivers 5 to 8 gallons of water per minute; over 300 gallons per hour.

Here are a few Best Management Practices for conserving pool water from Code Compliance:

•Cover the pool when not in use to control evaporation. Up to 95% of water loss from evaporation can be saved through the use of a pool cover. For the typical pool you can save an average of 16,000 gallons of water a year with a cover.

• Only drain and refill pool when required for water quality reasons.

• Backwash pool filters only when necessary. If the backwash cycle is controlled by a timer, check and adjust the frequency of the cycle to ensure optimal efficiency. Backwash until the water is clear.

• Where feasible, use filter backwash for irrigating lawns or plants, or for cooling tower make-up.

• Check the pool regularly for cracks and leaks and make repairs promptly. If water level drops more than 1 inch per day, investigate for problems or leaks.

• Pools lose a lot of water. Here are some tips to help you save water so you can continue to enjoy your personal outdoor recreation space in your own backyard.
• How to Drain and Backwash Pools Legally