How to conserve & save water in your garden – master my garden

In this blog I will discuss, how to conserve & save water in your garden. One of the most precious and often scarce resources that gardeners have is water, it is so vital for plant growth and life in general. Yet at the time of writing mid May 2020 there is talk yet again of hose pipe bans. In my area Co.Laois Ireland it hasn’t rained for 12 weeks and the same is true for may parts of Ireland and the UK. Crops are struggling and garden plants are in many cases desperately seeking a days “soft rain” as they call it around here.

It shouldn’t be the case that gardeners are struggling for water. Our average rainfall is between 750mm & 1250mm per annum. We get between 150 & 225 rain days. (Defined as a day with some level of rain) per annum also. So with that in mind it seems strange that there is water shortages in our gardens.

How to conserve & save rain water in your garden (Waterbutts)

Waterbutt sales are always at there highest during a period of dry weather. Which again is strange. (Although I do know that when hose pipe bans are announced water butts magically get filled at night by the water fairies  so maybe that explains it). So maybe as gardeners we need to get planning in advance. To ensure we have enough water to help our gardens flourish during dry times.

Hose pipe bans are often discussed by the government. Which is about the 4th or 5th time in the last 6 years. So it is definitely becoming a feature of our weather.  Also looking at the bigger picture it probably isn’t going to be sustainable long term. To be using costly treated water in our gardens. When that water is already under pressure from lack of capacity.

With all that in mind I think it’s vital for gardeners to start planning how they can harvest some water. This can be used in their gardens to offset some of the water from the mains systems.

So if we find ourselves in an extended period of dry weather with water becoming scarce. Here are 10 tips to save water and use less water in our gardens.

How to conserve & save water in your garden 10 tips

Add organic matter to soil

• Organic matter such as farm yard manure or good quality compost. When added to the soil and dug in during the winter months, has two benefits.  Firstly it improves soil structure allowing roots to go deeper and so helps them find more water. Secondly the organic material itself. Holds moisture in the soil much better than clay and makes it available for plants. So organic matter is a great addition to your garden.

How to conserve & save rain water in your garden

•  Sounds obvious right? Yet still many of us don’t do it. With the level of rainfall we get it is a no-brainer. To try harvest some of that and use in our gardens. It really is quite simple, you buy a water butt kit. Which comes with everything needed to harvest water from your downpipes. With sizes ranging from 100l up to 1000l+. Many different styles you are sure to find one that suits your garden.

Mulch your garden

• Mulching reduces the amount of water loss and retains the moisture in the ground. It can then be absorbed by your plants. You can mulch using good garden compost, farm yard manure, straw, bark mulch etc. Covering the ground with 50-75mm of mulch. When doing this just make sure the bed is weed free. So your plants are not competing with weeds for moisture especially in dry times.

Save water on your containers & planters

• Pots and containers use a lot of water. However a few simple tips can help conserve water on your pots and containers. Firstly when starting fresh try to use a growing media that is is peat free or at least not full peat. Peat based growing media on it own has poor water holding ability. So using a peat free puts you at an advantage starting out. We then should add water retaining gel. This is a material which you buy in little beads. You should add water to the beads they swell up in size. Lock in moisture and turn to jelly which keeps moisture in the root zone of the plants. Other tips include plugging hols in containers during dry times. To prevent run off (remember to remove the plug again in winter). Moving containers to shaded areas to reduce water loss from evaporation.

Water at correct time

•  Most gardeners know that is best to water when there is no sunshine. So early morning or late evening. There are a few reasons for this (not least it can scorch your plants) but when it comes to conserving water, watering in full sun leads to high levels of evaporation and so your plants don’t get a chance to use the water you have put on them. So watering in the early morning or late evening is best.

Use targeted watering

• This is not only a great method to conserve water. It is also great way of  saving you time which is another precious resource for many of us. Targeted watering is the use of watering system’s specific for the areas we are watering. For example if you have a newly planted hedge then it is going to have a high water requirement for the first couple of years. While it develops roots deep enough to fend for itself. So targeted watering on this would be to run a porous pipe or a seepage hose. Along the length of the hedge tight to the base of the plants. This then gently waters the hedge and the water seeps down exactly where its needed to the roots. It is gentle so there is no run off of water. This same hose can be used in veg patches and rows of fruit etc. The addition of a water timer to it would further enhance the efficiency. You can also use targeted watering on pots with individual dripper’s, on trees with droppers etc. This takes a bit of initial spending on materials and time but you make it back ten fold in time saved watering and by not wasting water.

Use waste household water

• House water or water which is used in the house but is fundamentally still perfectly good water for use in the garden. What I’m talking about here is grey water. Such as water which is in the sink after the dishes get washed, water after a bath etc. This may have some soaps or shampoo or such in it. However not anything that would cause problems in your garden. This requires a bit of work to get it from your sink or bath and into the garden. In times of drought its definitely worth doing. Another source of household water is water from cooking your veggies which again once cooled is perfect for watering plants.

Reduce watering on established plants

•  A lot of people when watering will water all plants in the garden. Any plants that are established for a long time are better to be left alone. I would encourage not to water unless under severe pressure. Watering them encourages the roots to stay high in the ground. As they don’t need to go down to search for water. So stop watering establish plants. They will send the roots out and down further in search and make them much more resilient for the future.

Plant plants with lower water requirements

• This is a good idea particularly if you are on very free draining sandy soil. With very little water holding capacity. Adding organic matter will help but in general if you are on this type of site/soil. It is best to choose plants with lower water requirements. plants such as Lavenders, Cistus ‘Elma’,Genista Lydia, etc. Choosing plants such as these that have originated from the Mediterranean. or similar will be genetically used to hot dry condition with low moisture levels and so will thrive for you should we get a similar spell of weather.

Avoid watering the lawn

• The lawn for many people is the centrepiece of their garden. Much like the centre court at Wimbledon, It gets watered and cared for. Lawns however need a lot of water to be at their optimum. So cut back on watering. The lawn will free up a lot of water for use on more vulnerable plants in the garden. Lawns may well go yellow or brown during dry periods. It is unlikely to be killed during this period of time. As soon as it rains it will green back up quiet quickly again. Another thing gardens can do on lawn is to use autumn food in September & October this will improves the roots of the lawn making it more resilient in the summer should we get a dry period.

How to conserve & save water in your garden the conclusion 

So that’s it 10 things we can do to conserve & save water in your garden. So get planning how you will ensure you will have enough water so that your garden can flourish no matter what Mother Nature throws at you for next year!!

Until the next time,

Happy gardening.

John

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version of this just hit the link below and enjoy. To see all of my podcasts hit the link here.