Ways to use less water

WITH luck, you shouldn’t need to get the sprinkler out this summer. There’s been no sign yet of a hosepipe ban, but we should all be thinking about ways to use less water – particularly the greenfingered among us.

Here’s how you can cut down on the amount of fresh water you use this summer... ●●Water early morning or dusk to reduce evaporation – Don’t water in the heat of the day. Put pots under hanging baskets so the overspill waters the plants below. ●●Avoid sprinklers – A sprinkler can use up to 1,000 litres of drinking water, or 220 gallons, in an hour. There are so many products on the market now to help us save water that there’s really no excuse not to. ●●Don’t water established lawns – we have a long, hot spell, your lawn may turn a bit brown, but it will recover with the autumn rains. ●●Buy the right plant for you – Some plants need more water than If others, so if you’re planning a waterwise summer make sure you’ve got the right plants for your garden. ●●Recycle your water – Try to recycle water as a matter of course. Use a plastic bowl for washing up and then deposit the water on to your plants, as a small amount of washing up liquid isn’t going to hurt them. ●●Use the rain – Up to 85,000 litres of rain falls on your roof each year, so install a water butt and use it to water your plants and your car. ●●Choose your plant placement wisely – Some more thirsty specimens in pots may benefit from being placed on a tray lined with capillary matting, which soaks up the water and then delivers the moisture to the roots, gradually when it’s needed. ●●Mulch – Add a thick layer of mulch around your plants to prevent the soil from getting too hot. Leaves and bark work very well. Or use pebbles, needles, straw, fruit pips or newspaper.