Reducing Water Usage in your Garden

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Would it surprise you to know that your garden irrigation system is only one of five major factors affecting your garden's water use? Do you know what the other four are?

1. Irrigation system efficiency

The most efficient irrigation for your garden is a drip system on a timer. Instead of spraying water all over the place, drip systems deliver it direct to the ground or the plants themselves. They are even more efficient than watering by hand.

Most drip systems come with a manual on/off switch or simple timer but you would do well to invest in a smart "evapotranspiration" (ET) detector system which checks the ambient conditions (either through sensors or by downloading weather info) and only switches the drip on when it's needed.

2. Garden size

Not so much a no-brainer as you might think, garden size does have a fairly logical effect on your water usage. A bigger garden means more water use. But you also need to consider the bigger picture: if you use the space to grow your own food, rather than just flowers and grass, you could make a significant impact on your overall footprint (and that of big suppliers and retailers), not to mention your grocery bills.

3. Garden maintenance

One word: mulch. Every smart gardener goes on and on about the stuff. Why? Because it enhances your garden's water retention, reduces weeds and makes your gardener a lot easier to tend. Mulch.

4. The plants you grow

If you choose to grow imported plants that are used to several feet of rainfall every week, you're going to use a lot more water than if you pick drought-tolerant, native plants that are used to surviving with less moisture. Choose carefully and prioritise those which require less of everything – fertiliser and pesticides have energy costs, too!

5. How indulgent you are as a gardener

Plants are like people in some ways: they get used to how they're treated and come to expect the same thing all the time. If you over-water them and coddle them, they will "need" that extra water and coddling all the time. Obviously it's not a good idea to starve and abuse them but a bit of tough love goes a long way: give your plants what they need to survive and no more.