Water wise gardening

[heather64]

Water wise gardening will take a bit of work to start with but once you have it going it will be well worth it.
To start with you will need to add plenty of organic matter such as compost and manure to the soil. This will help to improve water retention and your plant health as well as your soil structure. Of course this is one of the most important steps in making your garden drought-tolerant. Another thing to remember is the healthier your plants are the better chance they have of surviving drought conditions.
Weeding regularly also helps retain water because weeds compete with other plants for water.
There are alot of different ways to recycle water. I am currently using the shower water and water from the washing machine on parts of my garden.
I am interested to know more about any other methods of recycling water if anyone has any??

[heather64]

:omg9hi: Water wise watering!!!
Watering your gardens early in the morning will help reduce evaporation. Morning is generally better than evenings because watering in the evenings leaves water on the plants overnight, which can encourage fungal diseases. Watering on windy days is not recommended - wind drift will cause significant waste.
Make sure you give your garden beds a good, deep soaking every few days rather than a little every day to encourage plants to develop a good, strong root system.
Make sure all your taps and hose fittings do not leak for obvious reasons.
You should try to sweep paths and driveways and not hose them. Install automatic shut-off nozzles on hoses rather than leaving them running. I have learnt that you will also need a good quality hose for this type of nozzle. The cheap ones will build up too much water inside and blow off at the tap.
I don't think I have ever had this problem but I am told that more plants are killed from over watering rather than under watering! And excessive watering creates work by causing excessive plant growth, which means more pruning and trimming, and definately more weeding. Urg! Best of luck..

[heather64]

:icon_thum
Mulching garden beds is probably one of the hardest jobs when you have a large garden. But it is also one of the best ways to be water wise and maintain your beautiful garden.
Mulching helps to retain moisture in the soil and to keep the soil cool. Mulches, including bark-based varieties, pea straw and pebbles, can also restrict your weed growth. Lets face it that is a huge bonus!!
Mulch types
There are a few different types of mulch around. Make sure you find the one that is best suited to your garden. As organic mulches breakdown they help improve the soil structure and add nutrients to the soil. Inorganic mulches such as pebbles, have no soil improving qualities and may have an opposite effect on soil health.
Plants with low nutrient requirements, such as many native plants, often benefit from inorganic mulches. Thick woody mulches without leaves are also perfect for these types of plants as they last longer before breaking down and they release very little nutrients.
Very fine mulches are to be avoided as they can compact and not allow water to penetrate to the soil beneath. Their fineness also means they are capable of holding a lot of water, once again preventing it from infiltrating the soil beneath.
A good organic mulch is one that is a mix of fine and coarse particles.
Pea straw is an excellent mulch because it is high in nitrogen, but it can also be too expensive to use as a general mulch. This is best used on areas where the high nutrient content can be utilised best, like the vegetable garden.

How to Mulch
Take these few steps before laying your mulch down to ensure success.
1. Remove or poison weeds (then wait for a fortnight after using poison)
2. Moisten the soil thoroughly. Ensure that the water you apply is penetrating .
3. If the water is running off the surface, fork through some compost to aid with the water retention.
4. If you are planting into the soil, add some water saving crystals into the planting hole.
5. If you are using bark-based mulches, you might consider sprinkling some blood and bone over the soil. This extra nitrogen will compensate for any nitrogen being taken up by the gradual decomposition of the mulch.
6. Lay your mulch thickly (7-8cm deep), keeping the area directly around plants free of mulch.
7. Finally sprinkle soil wetting agents over the surface. You can ask at your local garden centre for this. This will ensure that any watering doesn't run off the surface of the mulch.
Following these steps will mean you have mulched well.
How often?
Over time organic mulches break down, contributing beneficially to soil structure. Fine mulches will break down quicker than more coarse materials and so will need topping up more often. Doing so every year is usually enough.
The length of time that it takes for a mulch to break down determines how rapidly the plants will be able to access the nutrients in the mulch. Some mulches as they break down may actually take nutrients away from the soil, this effect is only short-term but in these instances it may be necessary to add manure or blood and bone prior to mulching.
Happy Mulching!!!