The drought in Georgia and the total outside watering ban in most parts of Carroll County are greatly affecting local nurseries and how many trees, shrubs and plants they sell. Nursery owners say business is usually down in the summer months, but even more this year.

Mike Allgood, the owner of Red Land Nursery & Christmas Trees in Temple, said he and his employees are not having a difficult time keeping their plants alive during the drought because his business operates with well water, so they can give their trees and scrubs the water they need. Nonetheless, the watering restrictions have in essence dried up his business, which is off by at least 75 percent.

“People don’t want to plant new trees because if they can’t water them, then (the plants) are going to die,” he said. “It really wouldn’t make sense to the homeowner.”

According to Allgood, the months of July and August are typically the slowest in the nursery business, even with significant rain, because the extremely hot weather usually deters people from working outside and because 0f summer vacations.

“It was a reasonable year until the water bans,” he said. “The drought just seemed to come on stronger and stronger, and this year you’re feeling the effects a little more.”

Carroll County, Carrollton and Villa Rica, as well as Heard County and Haralson County, have adopted complete outside watering bans in response to the drought.

Bowdon has prohibited outdoor watering except on Wednesdays and Saturdays between midnight and 8 a.m. The state’s Level 2 watering ban allows residents to water only between midnight and 10 a.m.

According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Georgia has a total of 194 businesses statewide that specialize in nursery and floriculture production, employing around 3,300 people at a cost of $83.8 million per year. Carroll County, on the other hand, employs nearly 150 people at a price of $4.6 million each year in the nursery, greenhouse and floriculture producing industry. The average annual pay for someone working in that industry in Carroll County is more than $31,500.

Pat Brinson, the owner of Bloomers Garden Center, which is next to Ace Hardware on Highway 27 in Carrollton, said that a few weeks after Mother’s Day, plant sales normally drop off. This year, her plant sales are about 20 to 25 percent lower than this time last year.

“The drought has really affected us,” she said. “And we are trying to combat that as best we can.”

Bloomers, which is on city water, is trying to conserve how much water it uses in order to save money and become more efficient. One way is by watering when it is only absolutely necessary. And since plants in smaller pots dry out faster and have to be watered more often than plants in larger pots, Brinson said she and her staff are also grouping plants closer together before watering them.

“When you’re faced with a drought, it changes your thinking drastically,” she said. “You become more conservative.”

But nurseries are not the only ones changing their ways of thinking. According to Brinson, customers are, too. Knowing they cannot water their trees, shrubs or plants with fresh water, gardeners are beginning to use recycled water, also called gray water. Water saved after doing the dishes or taking a shower can be used on outdoor and potted plants.

“They use gray water this time of year to a certain extent anyway,” said Brinson. “But right now, that’s what we are telling (our clients) to do. This time of year, people want flowers, they want something pretty. And they’ll do whatever it takes.”

Red Land Nursery, which has been in business for the past 30 years, is a 30-acre facility that specializes in woody ornamentals and shade trees, such as maples and oaks, as well as foundation plants like shrubberies. The majority of its customers are local landscapers and retail garden centers.

Allgood said that newly planted vegetation would need to be established in the ground for at least six to eight months before it could live completely without water for awhile. During this time, the plant has created enough of a root system that would allow it to sustain itself without water for a period of time.

“But if you took one out there today and planted it, and it didn’t rain for a week, it probably would be dead,” said Allgood.