Does your lawn 'crunch' under your feet? Are you ready to mow off the tiny plants in your garden — the few still alive? Even wild berries growing in the woods seem smaller this season.

Blame it all on the lack of rain. From brown, dead grass blades to the small, thin vegetables that have been slow to come from the garden plot, they all are lacking rain.

A healthy plant is composed of 75 percent to 90 percent water. Water is essential for a plant's vital functions, including photosynthesis, support — or how rigid a plant is — and movement of nutrients throughout.

While growing, vegetables need about an inch of water per in the form of rainwater, irrigation water or both, from April to September. During this summer's drought there are ways to reduce the amount of water you need to add.

• Timing — Water during the coolest part of the day to avoid unnecessary evaporation. Early morning or early evening hours are generally best. Water deeply and carefully, but not too often. Thorough watering promotes stronger root systems, enabling plants to find below-surface water during droughts or hot spells.

Watering too lightly or too often actually harms plants by encouraging shallow root systems. Shallow roots make landscape plants more vulnerable to temperature extremes and the damage caused by drought and disease.

If irrigating with a drip or trickle hose, adjust the water rate to half an inch per hour. Put a soaker hose along the crop row, under mulch. Make certain to water slowly to avoid the water from running across the soil instead of soaking in.

Timing also applies to a plant's need for water during a critical development period. These critical times are when: melons are flowering; summer squash buds are developing and flowering; peppers are flowering and fruit is developing; eggplants and tomatoes are flowering and fruiting; and broccoli and cabbage are developing heads.

• Mulching: — Adding a 6- to 8-inch deep, light-textured organic mulch can reduce water needs by as much as one-half by smothering weeds. Organic mulches also hold some water and increase the humidity level around plants.

Weeds take up moisture away from vegetables and flowers. The weeds, like other plants, release the water through their leaves — called transpiration.

Organic mulch can be straw, chipped wood or bark, strips or newspaper or even pine needles collected from the backyard. Black plastic mulch also conserves moisture but may increase soil temperatures dramatically during the summer. These high temperatures can help some plants while hurting others.

For the vegetable garden, try adding sheets of newspaper held down by rocks, with a layer of straw on top.

• Adding humus — If the garden has a soil heavy with clay or sand, add humus, some type of organic material, such as old manure, compost or peat moss. The organic materials help the soil hold the water. More water will be available when the plant needs it. Add enough organic material so that the soil is crumbly when rubbed to the fingertips.

• Recycling water — Whether it is used dishwater or laundry water, if it's not too dirty, it can be reused. It can be drained directly from a washing machine to the garden or a bucket for later use. Or haul the dishwater from the sink to the outside.

Make certain the water is cool, not warm or hot. Also, when reusing dishwater, strain out large pieces of food, especially meat.

Try recycling rain water, especially that which runs off the roof into gutters and downspouts. A container placed at the base of a downspout will provide fresh water for the garden and outdoor plantings at no cost while reducing erosion and runoff during heavy rains. Reuse the water in the tank from a basement dehumidifier by dumping it into a watering can for use on the flower or vegetable garden.

• Looking ahead — When looking at overall water usage in the yard, consider areas that could be improved to use less water next year. When adding to a flower bed next year, look for drought-tolerant plants at nurseries and garden centers. "Xeriscaping" is an emerging landscape philosophy centered on water-wise landscaping. It's a big word, but the planning is simple. Some plants may already be in your garden.

Look for perennial grasses and herbs. Other perennials to consider include yarrow (Achillea millefolium), sagebrush, tickseed (Coreopsis grandiflora), lavender (Lavendula vera), catmint and liatris (Gayfeather, a native plant to this area).

Replacing areas currently in lawn grass will make a big difference in your total landscape water requirements. Lawns require tremendous amounts of water. Where appropriate (and where legally permitted), wildflower meadows serve as colorful low-maintenance substitutes for lawns. Wildflowers also attract abundant numbers of birds, butterflies and good insects, while adding a splash of color, even during a drought.

On slopes or in heavily shaded areas, ground covers provide an excellent alternative requiring less water. Even converting a relatively small area to trees and shrubs will significantly save water over the course of a growing season. Without grass, there's also no mowing, saving on the high cost of gasoline, as well as labor.

Jennifer Frohnapfel is a member of the Penn State Master Gardeners of Butler County. She has been certified for two years.