Saving
Water Tips
Saving Water in The Garden
There are many simple things we can do in our gardens to save water, money
and the environment. Here are a few easy ideas to practice when you're pottering around outdoors.
- Try to keep the water level of your pool halfway up the skimmer opening. Overfilling the pool stops the skimmer working efficiently and wastes water.
- A pool cover is a clever way to reduce evaporation and the need to regularly top up your pool's water level. Without a cover, more than half the water in your pool can evaporate over a year.
- Keep all your kitchen scraps, lawn clippings and garden waste - they're perfect for homemade compost, which your soil will love.
- If you need a watering system consider installing a drip irrigation system. It will cut wastage by making sure the water goes only where you need it.
- A good soaking every now and then with a hand-held hose will help make your lawn more drought resistant by encouraging deeper roots.
- To assist the establishment of your new lawn and to minimise the amount of water it requires, it is recommended that you apply a light top dressing to your lawn. Talk to your local nursery or landscape supplier about a suitable weed-free, sand based, organic top dressing mix.
- When planting new garden beds, group plants with similar watering needs together.
- Try not to cut lawns too short. When mowing, cut only the top third of the leaf area, leaving it three centimetres or higher. Reduce water loss even further by saving your lawn clippings to use as mulch on your lawn or garden.
- Regularly check your outdoor taps, pipes and plumbing fixtures for leaks. Just one dripping tap can waste 2,000 litres a month.
- Use deep mulch and add compost to your soil. These add nutrients and help to retain moisture and reduce evaporation.
- It's best to water the roots and soil around plants rather than spraying the leaves and flowers.
- Watering your garden in the cool of the early morning, or in the evening reduces water loss through evaporation.
- Take some time to relax in your garden and water by hand with a can or trigger nozzle. It's one of the best ways to make sure your plants get just the right amount of water.
- Paths, patios and driveways must never be hosed. Use a broom, rake or outdoor blower or vacuum instead.
- When washing your car, park it on the lawn and use a bucket for washing and rinsing. This way you can save water, as well as water and fertilise your lawn - car shampoos use phosphates that are similar to many fertilisers.
- When deciding on a lawn type, go for slow growing, water saving varieties like Palmetto. They have deep roots for drought tolerance and they don't need mowing as much as other varieties.
- Choosing local native varieties and other water wise plants attracts wildlife and means less maintenance and watering.
- Watering a level garden for longer, but less often, promotes deeper roots and hardier, healthier, drought tolerant plants. Remember to only use a hand-held hose or watering can or install drip irrigation. (About 12 millimetres of water an hour is enough for most sessions.)
Watering Systems
Drip irrigation is the most efficient watering method around, proving that low flow is the way to go. Hardly any water is wasted through wind, evaporation, run-off or overspray.
Did you know that it can take 15 minutes to deliver just one litre of water to the soil with drip irrigation, compared to five seconds when delivering one litre by hand?
By slowly dripping water into the soil at the base of plants, water is released at a rate that's easy to absorb, only where it's needed. After all, why water the weeds?
Drip irrigation also reduces the risk of erosion, soil compaction and insect and fungal problems in plants. It's great for all garden areas
Benefits of drip irrigation
- uses flexible piping that is easily laid and suitable for most environments, including ornamental gardens
- ideal for windy areas as the water goes directly to plants roots
- great for everything from plants on slopes to vegetable gardens
- suits all soil types
- suits all plant types
- reduces the risk of plant fungal and insect problems (only wets the soil around the plants roots, not the leaves)
- causes less erosion and soil compaction
- loses the least amount of water from wind, evaporation and run-off
- can be used to apply liquid fertiliser to gardens (you must use a backflow prevention device to ensure fertilisers don't go back into the drinking water supply)
- doesn't waste water on weeds.
Drip irrigation components
Integrated drip line (piping or tubing)
Integrated drip line irrigation is usually made from PVC and varies in diameter, depending on the amount of water pressure required. It can be laid either above or below the soil surface or in a layer of mulch. While more water pressure is required for longer piping and extra emitters, it's important to remember that extra pressure will not water your plants more effectively.
Drip emitters
Drip emitters attach to standard PVC irrigation piping and apply a consistent amount of water to your garden plants. As a general rule, cheaper and less sophisticated emitters (which are not recommended) have highly variable flow rates that depend on water supply pressure while commercial quality emitters have pressure-compensating systems to ensure a constant flow rate.
Weeping hoses
Weeping hoses are usually made of black recycled type rubber. They can be attached to a fixed watering system or an ordinary garden hose. As with integrated drip lines, weeping hoses can be laid either above or below the soil surface or in a layer of mulch. While more water pressure is required for longer hoses, weeping hoses work most effectively at low pressures.
Controllers
Controllers are used to manage the flow of water through your drip irrigation system. Simple controllers, such as a mechanical tap timer, only require you to set the amount of watering time. More complex electronic controllers can water different garden zones at different times and even different days. Consult your local irrigation supplier for more information.
Backflow prevention device
Backflow occurs when there is a reverse pressure in the water supply system, drawing contaminants like fertilisers and other garden chemicals back into the drinking water supply through installed irrigation system. Installing a backflow prevention device can prevent serious injuries caused by contaminated water.
Rain switches
A rain switch will turn off your drip irrigation system during wet weather, preventing over watering and saving you money. A rain switch can be connected to most electronic automatic controllers.
Soil moisture sensors
Soil moisture sensors are placed beneath the soil surface at a specified depth around your garden to measure the amount of moisture in the soil. When the moisture level drops below a predetermined level it allows the irrigation controller to operate, watering your garden. A soil moisture sensor can be fitted to most electronic automatic controllers.
Joints and connectors
T-joints, elbows, couplers and end caps connect the piping in your irrigation system.
Designing an effective drip irrigation system
The following hints may help in the planning and design of your drip irrigation system.
- Work out the number of connectors needed when planning your drip irrigation system.
- Plants in sunny areas usually require more water due to higher evaporation rates. Plants in shaded areas will require less water due to lower evaporation rates.
- Note slopes and soil types to help work out the watering requirements for different areas of your garden. For example, gardens with heavy clay soil may need more water pressure.
- Select drip emitters according to your plants' watering requirements.
- Consider where you would need joints and connectors.
- Rain switches and soil moisture sensors are highly recommended, especially in areas with high rainfall.
- Lay the piping above ground before digging. A 10 centimetre deep trench should be adequate, although sandy soil may require a slightly deeper trench to hold the piping in place.
- To make it easier to connect joints, heat the end of your piping to soften it and make it more flexible.
- Make sure drip emitters are installed above ground so that they do not become clogged by dirt.
Watering schedule
An adequate watering schedule is the most important aspect of any irrigation system.
- Consider local rainfall levels and soil type to work out the amount of water your garden needs.
- Soil moisture sensors can be used to manage the scheduling of your automatic controller.
- Rain switches turn off your watering system when it's raining.
- Due to their established root system, mature plants need less water than new plants.
- It is also a good idea to sort plants into different watering zones and water them accordingly.
- By choosing plants to suit your local environment, you can save water and ongoing costs in your garden.
Sourced from the Sydney Water Website – www.sydneywater.com.au
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