Saving Water

Now that water restrictions are upon us, we need to be more vigilant to using our water. There are heavy fines for users who don't follow the restrictions and if the drought continues our water supplies will be critically low. Below is listed some tips and information to save water around your household, and to save your garden too!

Select plant species carefully. It makes a lot of sense to use native Australian plants in your garden as they have adapted to our conditions. These days there are 1000's of cultivated varieties that are just as showy as introduced varieties. A great majority of natives can no longer to be perceived as "boring" as they have been bred to be better looking. Native plants after establishment, hardly ever need watering given the correct placement

Mulch ALL garden beds and trees. Mulch not only helps to keep down weeds, it saves over 70% of evaporation of moisture from the soil on hot days, keeps the soil at a more constant temperature, and adds the finishing touches to the look of your garden bed. Add mulch 75mm (3") for adequate cover but keep away from base directly at plant trunk.
Use wetting agent granules or similar mixed in your topsoil on gardens and lawns to help retain what moisture is there
Mix in some organic matter to sandy soils that will help retain soil moisture

Select a good watering system. Stage 3 restriction require the use of drip irrigation systems, we can help you with installation of these. With the combination of an automatic timer, you set the system to come on the allowed days with the drip pipes directing water to where it's needed most underneath the mulch

rainwater tank can also be valuable, which fills up pretty quick in a good rain downpour. These tanks can have an electric pump installed so that irrigation can be used more frequently, or a garden hose can be hooked up to use for other uses. It does pay however to let neighbours know about this so they don't think you are illegally using mains water!

Lawns can still be looked after somewhat even without mains watering. A handy trick is to hook up a grey water diverter from your laundry tub or washing machine outlet to a hose that can run onto your lawn (or garden). Detergent is a wetting agent so it will keep your lawn wetter marginally longer than straight water, just make sure it is biodegradable or it could damage your lawn. Try also using a bucket to catch the water in your shower while the hot water is heating up, every little bit helps and will save you money. Note: a licensed plumber may be required to install grey water diversions and tanks

keep weeds at bay. Weeds are called weeds because they make the most of the limited resources they have, whether it be soil or moisture, which is why they take over areas. Hand pick early is the best way to rid them otherwise you can spray most weeds with roundup (glyphosate) or a selective herbicide such as Dicamba which will only kill broadleaf weeds in your lawn (i.e.. not grass). Reducing weeds will help keep all the moisture for the plants and lawn you want to keep

keep an eye on all tap points and connections for leaks which would be increasing water usage. Check the meter while no-one is home for a few hours and see if the meter has moved indicating a leakage

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