Home > Flower and garden articles > Wise Watering

Wise Watering

When and how to water to reduce waste.

For those of us fortunate enough to live with the luxury of mains water it`s amazing how quickly we forget about all those water-saving techniques our mothers taught us.

However, with the likelihood of another long, hot Summer it`s probably worth re-visiting some of those time-honoured techniques. Undoubtedly many country gardeners who treasure their scarce stores of water are still practising these useful wise watering tricks.

Drip, Drip, Drip… it`s still the best way!

Without a doubt, the drip, drip, drip method is still one of the surest and best ways to water during a drought.

The trick with drip irrigation is precision. The drip must be applied at the base of the plant and must be no more than a tiny trickle. Having the water flowing any faster is most often a waste.

The old favourite drip watering system was an upside-down bottle which delivered precious water exactly where it`s needed most. If you don`t remember this trick it`s simply a matter of filling an old beer bottle - or soft drink bottle - with water and then planting it upside down in the soil so that the water slowly seeps from the open neck into the soil.

However, a garden hose is just as useful. It`s amazing what the normal garden hose can do for a wilting tree, shrub or garden bed, if it`s turned on just to the point where it drips and is left there overnight.

If you use the garden hose like this, it`s important to make sure that there is no wasteful run off. If there is any, simply turn the tap down to a slower water flow.

These days, however, you can quite readily buy an easy-to-install drip or trickle irrigation system which can be used all over the garden.

Precision, precision, precision!

Precision plays a vital role in the when and how of watering during drought periods. How many times you have seen somebody airily waving a hose - as if a magic wand - up and down and round about? The only magic in that is the immediate disappearance of the tiny water droplets as they literally evaporate into thin air! Heavier drops of water, aimed at the right spots, is the secret to efficient watering.

The golden rule is to water precisely where the need is. Watering the paths, fences and driveways is a terrible waste when this precious commodity is scarce.

To water trees and shrubs without losing much of the water due to run-off, try building a shallow `moat` around each tree and filling that with water.

Some landscapers use another efficient watering systems which involves burying drainage pipes (ie: those with regular holes down the sides) into the soil beside the plants. The water is then simply hosed onto the pipes which take the water directly to the roots of the plant where it is needed most.

There`s no time like the right time!

Timing is equally vital to wise watering. The ideal time is late afternoon or early evening so that the moisture has a chance to penetrate the ground down to the plants` roots before it is lost through evaporation. If you prefer to (or need to) water in the early mornings, do this prior to the hot sun bearing down on your plants.

Good timing will also help your plants to develop a greater tolerance of drought by encouraging the roots to grow deeper into the earth. Remember, the closer to the surface roots are, the sooner they will feel the effects of heat and drought.

The easiest way to encourage roots to grow downwards is by watering for longer periods, but less frequently. This way the roots are trained to grow downwards and away from the scorching heat of the soil surface. The other benefit of deep roots is that, deeper in the soil there is more likely to be some residual moisture, upon which the plants can rely during hot dry spells.

If you water for only a short period, much of the water stays within a few inches of the top of the soil and therefore the roots of the plant will tend also to stay within this zone.

Drastic times? Take drastic measures!

During times of severe water restrictions drastic measures may need to be employed to save a much treasured plant. This is the time to start saving and re-using the household waste water from the bath, the sink and the rinse cycle of the washing machine and bucketing it onto your garden.

Although this may sound extreme there are many keen gardeners on tank water and many environmentally friendly folk who make this effort throughout the year.

Keeping the water in its place!

The second skill to good watering is about retaining as much water in the soil as possible. As most experienced gardeners know the surest way to reduce water loss is by using a nice heavy mulch to prevent evaporation.

There are lots of different materials which can be used to create a mulch - compost, leaves, grass clippings, straw, wood chips, newspaper and even old hessian bags. All of which are quite effective in both reducing water loss and keeping weeds to a minimum.

The second benefit of a mulch is that it will slowly break down over time and can be mixed into the soil to further improve your soil`s water efficiency.

By working a good mulch or compost into a heavy clay soil you will be opening the soil up and allowing water to more easily penetrate. By applying one to a sandy soil you`ll be improving the water holding capacity of the soil so that more water is retained in the soil rather than just draining straight through it.

In this way a mulch gives you double the benefit!

Plant drought-hardy bulbs

If you live in an area where Summer drought or water restrictions are common it is definitely worth while planting specimens which are drought hardy.

This is where Spring bulbs become invaluable. They do not require any watering over Summer since this is when they are dormant. They only require water during Spring and, in most years, there is ample rainfall to cover their needs. Perfect!

Last Reviewed: 18/02/2004 9:33:41 AM

Shopping

Garden Advice

Be Inspired

What's on at Tesselaar

Our Company