Water in your garden – make it last!
Water conservation is a major activity if you want to get involved with Global Gardening.
Every plant needs water to survive. It is a vital source for growth and without it we would not be able to enjoy beautiful gardens.
Climate change and changing rainfall patterns are already affecting the water supply we have come to rely on. There is no longer a guarantee that rain will fall exactly when we need it and the amount of rain that we receive is often now concentrated into a far shorter period.
Gardeners now have to deal with extremes such as long periods of drought or, as in the Summer of 2007, very heavy rainfall - both of which affect the way that our plants grow and survive.
In the past watering your garden was one of life’s pleasures, but climate change is changing this so gardeners must use water more wisely.
MEASURE WHAT YOU USE
Why not have a water meter installed to ensure that you use water wisely in the garden - this might also save you money. Most households in the UK are entitled to a free water meter from their water company on request. This will SAVE YOU MONEY AND help you to think about how and when you use mains water in the garden.
RE-USE WHAT YOU HAVE
Think seriously about how you might harvest and re-cycle your water supplies?
Harvested rainwater can produce healthier plants as well as saving our precious supplies .
In fact, most plants prefer rain water to tap water. It contains more pH and is free of chemicals such as chlorine.
CHECK WHAT WATER PLANTS WILL NEED
Before you buy ANY plant from ANY nursery, it is always a good idea to check how much water it will need to establish itself and to grow in summer drought conditions. It is obviously better not to buy plants that will require lots of water unless you are prepared to harvest or re-cycle your water on a regular basis.
Hanging baskets for example require daily watering and during dry periods will dry out very quickly. It is likely that you could loose the plants in your display if you do not think about how you will keep them moist.
Follow these simple SAVE WATER IDEAS to make a change
|
See waterguide.org.uk/companies to have a water metre installed.
Autumn planting is better than summer as plants require less water to establish themselves
Very good organic manure mulched in late winter will help retain soil moisture in summer
Experiment with drought tolerant plants
Weeds use water so remove them
Avoid watering lawns - see lawn pages for further advice
Tap into using water butts to collect rainwater
Ensure that pots and containers have trays to ensure rain water is not wasted.
Recycle kitchen and bath water without detergents if you can.
|
PDFS
back to top
|
