How to Conserve Water
It has been dry our way….no rain for over 3 months. In Feb and March of this year, we had huge amounts of rain and it became a common occurrence for us to have our access to the highway cut off due to flooded roads. Now fast forward 6 months and the creeks are low as well as everyone’s tanks. It’s dusty and dry out here…
As the temperature starts to rise and the garden starts to get parched, it’s time to look at some water saving tips. Even if you are on town water effective use of water I feel benefits community and environment.
So let’s look at some water conservation tips…
10 Water Saving Tips
1. If you do have a veggie patch, give it a good soak twice a week instead of a sprinkle daily. Not only is this an effective way to water, it will let water to seep right into the soil allowing plant roots to grow deeply.
2. Before you water, check out the moisture level in the soil first. You may find that it is still moist and might not need a water. You can do this either with a soil moisture meter or by using a trowel, if’s it’s still moist at about 5cms, then don’t water that day.
3. Great way to give your garden a good soak is to have drip irrigation or a soaker hose, this way you can turn it on in the early morning before it gets too hot and let your plants start the day refreshed.
4. Mulch round plants and veggies, then when you water there will be less evaporation so your soil stays moist for longer.
5. When you harvest your fruit and veggies, wash them in a sink of water. Don’t rinse under a running tap.
6. Set your lawn mower to a higher setting. You will get taller grass but this will shade the lawn roots and retain moisture better than grass with a short cut. Aerate your lawn once a year. This will allow water to get right down to where it’s needed – the roots.
7. Speaking of lawn, do you really need it? This is one area of the garden that can be a heavy water consumer, although with a lot of areas experiencing water restrictions gone are the days of letting the sprinkler run on the lawn for hours during summer and letting the kids run through it. Think of creating a lawn free garden, there are some great ideas online.
8. Pots dry out quickly and need constant water, either use a plantpal or have a bucket in the shower to collect water while you are waiting for it to warm up. My mum is big on this as she has lots of pot plants on her deck. When strict water restrictions were put in place, her pot plants still got a drink.
9. Look at planting shrubs and trees native to your area. There’s no use planting a thirsty plant if you live in a drought prone area. Native plants usually have adapted to your local conditions and will always do better than plants not used to your environment.
10. Finally, follow local council water restrictions if they are in place. They are there for a reason. There’s nothing more that creates resentment than seeing people break these restrictions, I lived in Melbourne when there were strict water restrictions and people were dobbing in their neighbours for doing this. We all love our gardens but if there is a need to conserve water, let’s think about our community and environment.
There are so many other water saving tips….You can read interesting facts from these articles too!
10 Ways to Conserve Water at Home « Green Home Blog – 10 Ways to Conserve Water at Home The U.S. has one of the largest water footprints in the word: the average person in the U.S. uses 80-100 gallons of water a day. But all that comes at a price. The water you use in your …
8 Excellent Ways to Conserve Water | Lehman’s Country Life – Use these 8 tips to cut down on your water use. Great, easy-to-implement ideas for rural or urban folks.
Now, what’s some of yours? Feel free to share some of your water conservation tips in the comment box below.
