Beat drought with automatic watering Make sure plants don’t go thirsty, with an irrigation system
Make sure plants don’t go thirsty over summer, says Geoff Hodge. An irrigation system takes care of them, giving you more time to enjoy your garden
The hot, dry summer of 2018 still haunts many gardeners. We’re cursing how much watering we had to do! With similar hot dry summers on the cards, now’s a good time to invest in an automated watering system. While it’s true that all plants need a regular supply of water at their roots to ensure strong, healthy growth, not all need regular watering. Most established plants respond to drought by sending out deeper roots in search of soil moisture. The exception is container plants, especially hanging baskets, because their roots are restricted. These are more-or-less totally dependent on you for all their water needs and as the compost dries out extremely quickly, they may well need watering daily in summer – or even more regularly in very hot, sunny or windy periods. Here, an automated water supply can make a world of difference.
Drip watering
The best way to water plants is to apply it where it’s needed – the roots – watering the soil or compost, not the plant. This also reduces the risk of fungal diseases that rely on a film of moisture on plant leaves for the spores to germinate and attack. Watering the soil is easy using a drip watering system, which slowly releases water onto the compost surface, helping to keep it evenly moist and avoiding extremes of drying out and waterlogging. When used correctly, a drip watering system reduces water waste, including loss by evaporation, and helps cut your household bill by up to 90% if you’re on a water meter. While drip watering reduces time spent watering, you still have to be at home to turn the tap on and off. However, an automated system means you don’t even have to do that! All you need is a manual water timer or battery-operated controller or ‘computer’. A manual timer still needs your input to start it every time (a bit like a mechanical egg timer) whereas a watering computer does it all for you. Choose from preprogrammed timers, or one that you can set yourself, using a couple of simple buttons or dials (a bit like setting your central heating thermostat). Use it to dictate when, how often and how long each watering session should be.
...alter and control your watering while you’re lazing on the beach in Majorca!
Holiday watering
The best thing about using a watering computer is that you can go on holiday without worrying about your plants. You can water them remotely at any time of day (early morning is best because there’s little evaporation). Top of the range systems have sensors that can monitor moisture levels in the compost and so override the computer if need be. The latest designs have a wificompatible controller and an app for your smartphone or tablet. Imagine being able to alter and control the watering of your hanging baskets, while you’re lazing on beach in Majorca! The complexity of your set-up is dictated by the size of the area you want to cover and number of containers. A simple system could take as little as a couple of hours to install, whereas a more complicated one over a large area may be a weekend project. Always plan your system first, and lay out any piping before you cut or fix it permanently into place. Although it’s possible to change layouts later, it’s best to get it right first time. Look for ways to hide any tubing and piping, running it along walls for instance. Bear in mind that large containers probably need more than one dripper to water them correctly. Then it’s just a matter of adjusting the rate of drip for each dripper, making it higher for thirsty plants and larger pots. If you don’t have a suitable outdoor tap, look out for drip watering systems that work with a water butt or other source of stored water. These feature a pump powered by an integrated solar panel to draw water from any water tank and distribute it to your plants.