Friday 26 August 2016

Weekly Green Tips - 7 Garden Watering Tips

Week 21 - Garden Watering Tips


Back in May I gave you 7 ways to save water around the house ... at a time when we were actually having a very wet spring.  Fast forward to today and we are seeing searing temperatures and, in parts of France, water restrictions after a prolonged dry spell.  So from a purely practical angle it makes sense to use less water in the garden if you can.  It is also good for the environment as  a whole:

  • It takes energy to treat water
  • Wildlife suffers when the water levels in lakes and rivers falls low
  • Lakes may become more saline and less oxygenated as levels fall



7 Great ways to save water in the garden



1.  Water at the right time and the right amount


Water your plants early in the morning or in the cool of the evening so less water is lost to evaporation.  In most cases it is better to water heavily every few days than a little bit every day as this allows the water to soak down deep where the roots really need it. Exceptions to this though are pots and under glass/plastic cover where daily watering will be needed in the hottest weather

2. Get that water down deep


Getting the water down deep encourages deep rooted plants which are less susceptible to hot dry weather conditions than those plants with shallow roots.  You can sink plastic bottles with holes cut in the base next to the plant and water down into those.  You can found more details here - Water-wise Tomatoes


3. Mulch plants


Adding a layer of mulch will greatly reduce evaporation.  Cardboard, grass cuttings, specialist mulch fabric, straw etc can all be used.  Just make sure you water the plants well before adding the mulch. 

4.  Do not use sprinklers


Sprinklers are very non specific and a lot of the water they spread is wasted.  Instead use a hosepipe or watering can and only water exactly where the plants need it

5. Move pots to shady spots


If the temperature really goes up move pots into shady places

6.  Collect rainwater


There are umpteen ways you can collect rainwater and with some local authorities offer rain water butts are reduced prices.  Some plants actually dislike tap water and should always, if possible be watered with rainwater.  You can also water plants with used washing up water and bath water but do not use dishwasher or washing machine water which is likely to contain too many chemicals. 

7.  Let the lawn go brown


Grass is amazingly resilient and even after going brown in a hot spell it will almost always recover when the rain returns.  Can you really justify wasting water on keep your lawn green when it could mean supplies for the whole community running low?  Also if hot weather is forecast start mowing your grass on a higher setting and the longer grass will remain green longer.

Do you have any other methods you use to save water in the garden?



A Green and Rosie Life

1 comment :

  1. We have an automatic watering system that comes on at night so we're certain not to lose water to evaporation but we're not allowed to collect rain water here because of the scurge of mosquito larvae. We have to empty any stagnant water out immediately. Today it's raining for the first time this summer holidays, so in at least 8 weeks. It's actually rather refreshing and our brown lawn is loving it!

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