Water Conservation for your Garden

Water Conservation for your Garden

Whether you are starting a new garden or perking up an existing one, incorporate these water-wise tips into your gardening routine to make sure your plants get the best nourishment with the least amount of water.

Know your plants. Do your homework before purchasing plants so that you can select an ideal blend of varieties that thrive in your local climate without a lot of extra water.
Create watering zones. When placing your plants, group them by how much water they need versus putting thirsty and not-so-thirsty plants together. This helps make sure that all your plants get the amount of water they actually need without over watering.

Feed the soil. You should also look at routinely nourishing the soil to improve its ability to keep moisture. What to do? Add organic matter like compost where needed.

Cover the soil. Also add organic mulch to slow evaporation and keep soil moisture. What’s more, mulch can help suppress water-stealing weeds.

Eliminate competition. In addition to using mulch to discourage weed growth, take regular measures to eliminate young weeds before they get a foothold.

Use fertilizer wisely. Once your landscape plants get a foothold, fertilize in moderation. You want to avoid over-stimulating plant growth, and with it water demand.

Tune up irrigation. Also avoid using inefficient watering practices and devices. Irrigate when evaporation will be minimal. And, upgrade your irrigation system with elements like smart controllers, drip emitters, and rain and moisture sensors.

Avoid water runoff. If you are including hardscape elements, use permeable materials like gravel or porous pavers to allow water to pass into the soil.

I enjoy sharing practical tips like these, and I hope you enjoy them too. And, as always, if there is anything else I can do for you, I’m just an email or phone call away.  For ease please use the icons below to contact me.