TAMPA, Fla. — As the dry season begins, the Tampa Bay area is already in a drought.

What You Need To Know

  • As the dry season begins, the Tampa Bay area is already in a drought
  • Water restrictions will limit how much you can water your yard and landscaping 

  • Increasing the amount you water one day per week could help your lawn and landscaping

  • Grass and plants require less water and nutrients in winter as they enter dormancy

To conserve water, water restrictions are taking effect on Friday, limiting residents from watering their lawn and landscaping more than one day a week.

It’s creating a challenging situation, even for experts.

Tampa’s Green Thumb Nursery Manger Drew Rey says his staff will do a lot of hand watering this winter to keep plants healthy.

Rey says if there is any good news, it’s that grass and plants are going into a dormant state this time of year, meaning they require less water and nutrients.

But he says they still need some water, and that’s why he wants to make sure people are making the most of the one day a week.

“If you are only watering once a week, maybe looking at your sprinkler system? Making sure you don’t have any breaks, any leaks,” said Rey. “That is going to affect the ability for your sprinkler system to be able to water everything the way it’s supposed to. So making sure it’s in top-notch condition is really important.”

Rey also says increasing the time you water that one day can help bridge gaps between water cycles and the little rainfall we see in the winter.

For more information on water restrictions and which day you can water, based on the street number of your address, visit here.