What is the best way to save water in your garden?

Question

As the harsh summer draws nearer, with tough and often increased water restrictions, Australians have many ways to ensure their gardens make it through the season.

How do you get your garden through the harsh summer weather?
What do you do to make sure your garden survives?

Answer 1

great question!

We diverted our pipes from the washing machine and shower to the garden as alot of people have done during the drought. we also changed the shower head to a water saving one. I wash the kids in the bath together (unless one is really dirty), using one bath of water instead of 2. I also went and brought a water effecient front loader washing machine.

We also bought a huge water tank to catch as much rain as we can for garden use and washing cars (not that we do that much!) etc.

I also do little things like, when changing the dogs water I will tip it on my garden rather than just down the sink. Me and the kids sometimes go out and do a rain dance.....lol... it has never worked!!
I hate the thought of such a beautiful country like Australia, having brown dead gardens because of the drought so You need to use every drop you can and not waste one.

Answer 2

To start with, plant natives to your area, or plants that do well in your type of environment.

Use a thick good quality mulch to conserve water, and when planting use a good water crystal in the soil.

When running a shower, catch the cold water in a bucket as you wait for the hot water to come through. Also have buckets to catch run off in the shower, and use these buckets on the garden.

If you're really keen, save the rinse water from each washing load and re-use it to wash the next load. When you've finished all your washing, use the final rinse water to put on the garden.

Water in the evening so that the water has a chance to soak in before the sun comes up.

If you have the money, install rainwater tanks. Oh... and here's a fun rhyme for the toilet... if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down!

When rinsing things like coffee and tea cups, tip the rinse water into a bucket and use it on the garden. If you're washing vegetables, use a plastic container in the sink, then pour off the wash water into the garden.

If none of this appeals, simply call the local concretor and get the lot covered in cement. Then use a broom, not the hose to keep it all clean!

Answer 3

*** plan your garden to be water wise right from the start***
1. Use natives where possible, choose plants that grow well in your area and can survive the summer conditions without the need for excessive watering.
2. Mulch Mulch Mulch
3. Plan your garden to create a microclimate.. trees that throw light shade and keep the ground and roots cool. This allows for underplanting which in turn creates not only a beautiful look, but also becomes a foodsource and shelter for many native animals and preserves ground moisture.
4. Use a drip irrigation system, where possible fed from grey water. Only water occasionally, when really necessary. You want to encourage roots to go deep and not be reliant on top moisture. Plants are smart.. they will adapt to conditions.
5. Restrict lawns. These are totally unsuitable for our climate. This doesn't mean you go without lush green cover, just think clever: Lipia, for example, is an excellent ground cover that mimics lawn and feels lovely underfoot. There are many options for all areas in Australia.
6. Fertilise and prune wisely, to keep your plants healthy and strong. This way they not only look great, but can deal with harsh conditions much better.
7. Research your plants: don't plant things that will outgrow the space available or have a destructive, or excessively thirsty, root system. Many Gum trees do not respond well to pruning, it makes them weak and dangerous. Some plants are very thirsty or demanding on ground water.. so do your research, buy well and enjoy a luscious garden without wasting precious water.

Answer 4

I use a combination of the following:
1. try to avoid the water guzzler plants - but if i have retained a few very loved plants in a shaded area of the garden. And i have to admit that includes 2 rhododendrons and a few camelia. However i have said good bye to my azalea as i was not prepared to keep watering them as much as they needed. To replace the azalea i substituted them with lovely pelargoniums which look like azalea from a distance. And i never water the pelargoniums and they still look good.
2.Use a lot of good quality composted soil and to that add lots of SATURAID all around the plants. SATURAID has made a huge difference for the better for my garden
3. I even spread SATURAID with my old fertilizer spreader over the lawn and have not watered my lawn for 3 years (only gets rain) and it is still green
4.Mulch to a depth of about 30 centm. all over the garden plants (not the lawn) with loose pea straw.
5. I only bucket water a maximum of once a fortnight - and then only a few special plants.
6. I have installed a 5000 gallon rain water tank for the home - and will also make use of it for the garden in case they even stop bucket watering.
7. I do intend to start using that system that Burkes Backyard had on Sunday 23 Sept 2007 on Channel 9 - the system with the black crates that channel all the rain water deep beneath the garden as i think my big trees will appreciate it.

Answer 5

If it's an existing garden, start composting, if you don't already, so you can provide your own mulch material. If you have to buy it initially, get organic mulch without steer manure -- chicken manure is okay -- but you don't want added fertilizer as fertilizing during the harsh summer months isn't good for your plants. Water late in the evening, or early in the morning. If it's extremely hot late into the day, the morning schedule may make your plants less susceptible to fungus and mildew. I've heard arguments both ways so I generally try to water here in SoCal after the ground has had a chance to cool.

If you are starting a new garden, go with regional natives. Consult a few of your better local nurseries for recommendations, or even hire someone to design a palette that's suitable for your area.

A few taller trees or shrubs will cast shade on plants nearby, and it's roots may help draw up moisture deep in the ground that will then be available to the other plants.

Be creative, have fun, and good luck.

Answer 6

Grab A Buck of Water Then Water Ur Garden With The buck of Water So U then u r Saving Water So u do not Get a Fine From Sydney's Water Authority & Then U Can Water Ur Garden A Many Time As U Lke With a Bucket of Water.

Answer 7

I like the idea of making my garden functional...hence I've got a large veggie patch as opposed to an ornamental garden.

I've never used soil wetting agents as I believe in keeping chemicals of any sort outta the garden wherever I can...esp as I eat my own produce!

Use a thick layer of a good quality garden mulch and water at night using a drip, soak or similar watering system set on a timer.

Compost all garden waste, veggie scraps etc and recycle this back onto the garden as fertiliser. Get a worm farm going in there if you can :)

If you must have an ornamental garden, consider using native plants or succulents...and reduce the size of your lawn (where you practically can) as these can potentially chew up a lot of water.

I'm not opposed to using grey water from the laundry or kitchen sink on my garden...but again dont do this very often as I prefer to keep chemical free and dont want to introduce detergent residues.

I'm also very much in favour of EVERY household retrofitting a suitable size rainwater tank as an alternate source to mains tap water.

Cheers :)

Answer 8

Dear Yates,
This is the 64 thousand dollar question.!
However, the garden IS the answer - let me explain.
You've all heard about NATIVE PLANTS -well that's one way of surviving.But even some of the hardiest are struggling. What to do!!?
The French - you know -France ? have a method of TRENCHING with manure green waste etc, to start vegetables early... I wonder if this method might be used in association with heavy MULCHING to hold any moisture deep in the ground near the roots and avoid the high evaporation rate at surface of the ground. See CLOCHES too. DO NOT DIG INTO ROOTS but funnel a deep ditch towards plants or along side of a border and fill periodically with extra green waste & vege scraps & or grey water.
Also note PERMACULTURE methods of SWALING or contouring
the earth to retain moisture. Rocks can trap early morning DEW
and form a small reservoir next to a tree for example. Desert animals drink this way -too.( Curtisy of ANIMAL PLANET I think?)
You might pile up soil around fruit trees drip line and reduce the CANOPY by a third, to decrease soil temperatures and encourage less TRANSPIRATION or wilting!
Currently, I am concentrating on only a few established plants to save by piling on newspapers (cat tray) vege scraps & mulch & 'gray' rinse water. Not a pretty sight but....needs must ! Avoid COLLOR -ROT keep tree trunk clear of mulch.
These are my only consessions to flowering plants the roses at the back door and a large WAXED lined terra cota pot.
Amid the dessicating landscape these are a few cheery exceptions.
and luckily I have some blossoms left too!
Hope this helps you. All the best,
from SHEOAK 007

Answer 9

If you can water do so in the afternoon after the main heat of the day has passed.
Use mulch eg Sugar cane leaves available commercially.
Install drip irrigation or the special spike you install underground and then can hook upto a plastic 5 to 10 litres tank that can be filled by the tap or say from downpipes from your roof.
Purchase water spikes that can be put on 2 litres pet bottles and upend these in the soil next to the plants.
Use a soil wetting agent that will allow all available water to penetrate to the roots of the plants.
Divert grey water e.g. shower or washing machine water onto the garden. Use low phosphate detergent and move the pipe around frequently.
Consider drought resistant replacement plants if current ones die.

Answer 10

We seem to be getting a fair bit of rain where we live (South West Sydney) so we have put downpipes from our outdoor patio area and roof onto our lawn and garden so the water isn't wasted down the drain.
We have bought weed-mat which we have around all our garden beds - 1. not having weeds, the plants don't have any competition for their moisture and 2. no weeding to do!!
we covered the weed mat with mulch (sugar cane mulch) to keep any moisture in the soil as much as possible.
We have simple little drip irrigation system that has a timer on it to drip on the allowable days /hours - our garden is all heat tolerant plants and always seems to manage really well through summer.

Answer 11

first of all i add vegetable scraps to the soil to help improve the quality, then i mulch it with straw or pine bark. i find this helps retain any moisture it receives(either rain or an early morning sprinkle). i conserve the kids bath water for potplants and add the occaional rinse water from the washing machine to the small bit of grass we have kept. With the harsh climate we have, extreme cold to extreme heat, we decided to pave a large area of the garden to do away with trying to keep grass and plants watered. The grass we have kept is RTF and is close to the house to try and keep the heat down in the entertaining area. it has been more practical choosing plants that require minimal amounts of water and there are some great flowering natives that can still colour up the place. some of the water saving products that you plant at the roots have been great in the bottom of the potplants, the one that looks like jelly is fantastic.