How to save water in garden?

[FlourishAnn]

Saving water is very important for our environment and also for our budget. Don't you think so? If you have a garden, I have got some tips for you that will help you to save water.
1. Rainwater - it is very usefull to water our garden, so don't waste it. Put a big barrel near drainpippe and then use rainwater rather than tap water.
2. Use the right amount of water - sometimes people use too much water
3. Plant flowers that need less amount water - for example perfect are lavender, palms, mimosa and verbena.
What are your methods to save water in garden?

 

[Sean Regan]

We live in Manchester, we get more rain than we need, though we lie and say we don't get as much as we do.

I can remember when the water rates were included in the general rate. Then it went to an additional charge to the rates of £15 a year. Then the water and sewerage utility was privatised.

I now pay £830 a year.

I've two lawn sprinklers, a leaky hose system that waters the borders and I have a 24/7 trickle water change system for my 3000 gall koi pool, so I guess I get my money's worth.
As a country the UK gets enough rainfall. The problem is that there are wetter and dryer areas. To resolve it we need a pipework system that can transfer the water from the areas that have more than enough to the areas with insufficient. But that would collectively cost the various water suppliers a lot of money, which might mean the shareholders don't get a dividend for a few years.
Hosepipe bans cost nothing, so that's what we get in some areas.

 

[marlingardener]

FourishAnn, we are in Texas, famous for drought or downpours--we can't seem to hit a middle ground on water! We have three 250 gal. cubes to save rainwater off roofs, and three 55 gal. barrels. All the water that goes on vegetables and flowers, and into the chicken waterers in the coops, is rainwater. Our cubes have been emptied just once, during the historic drought in 2011.
People see our vegetables or flowers during the dry months and comment on how high our water bills must be. When we show them our latest bill, they can't believe how low it is. Well surprise, rain water is free once you get the catchment set up!
Here is the cube that gets water off the garage roof and is used for the fruit trees. The two that catch water off the barn hold water for the hens and vegetable gardens. The barrels are used to water our flower beds. I spend a lot of time hauling water in buckets or watering cans, but I do get to know my plants!

 

[alp]

I have about 8 butts of 230L to big black bins. It's very dry in Essex so I tend to grow, as you suggest, drought and heat resistant plants - irises, peonies, cistus, osteospermums ... I have been feeding my soil with bonemeal, growmore and horse manure, trying to make it water retentive, but so far, the soil still looks very dry. When I got free wood chips, I mulch some areas too.

 

[Judith Ayers]

I have 2 cubes and 2 smaller butts . Never have to use mains water

 

[DirtMechanic]

We have too much rain sometimes and later in the year it grows very dry. We use a seperate water meter on an irrigation line that has no sewage or garbage fees associated. I have not established a rain runoff system yet but will as I reroof the house.

 

[alp]

Good idea to get some industrial scale containers. Another way is to incorporate a lot of mulch. I am sure you have a lot of fallen leaves and what not lying around. Mulching suppresses weeds, retains moisture and keeps your plants alive over harsh snowy winters.

 

[roadrunner]

Things I do to collect/save water:

1. Collect rain water and store in a 96-gallon trash can.
However, it seems as if this trash can wasn't designed to store so much water, since it's starting to crack -- I'm afraid it's going to catastrophically split one day...I think I might need to actually buy a barrel designed for storing water.

2. I pre-wash all dishes outside or if I do inside I put that Gray water in a bucket and take outside.

3. I collect the condensation drain-off from my A/C unit. I set my thermostat relatively high at 77 deg f (25 C), but still I can get about five gallons from that drain off in under 24 hours.

4. Many of the plants I have are very drought tolerant, so I don't water many plants, rather I mostly water seedlings.

So what do I do with all this saved/collected water? Since I have much more saved water than I can use on my plants, I water my heavily mulched soil after watering some water-loving plants such as the bananas and canna lilies...

So now my very sandy soil is not so sandy any more. It's heavily loaded with tons of organic matter from the heavy mulch I lay down every year. This is my favorite way to collect and save water. It's really neat when we go thru a dry spell and I dig down into my mulch and see tons of soil organisms in a healthy moist environment, while every where around me is dry and sandy

I love the thought of this: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lara-b...can-improve-your-soils-water-holding-capacity

Excerpt:

"Each 1 percent increase in soil organic matter helps soil hold 20,000 gallons more water per acre."

 

[alp]

It's really neat when we go thru a dry spell and I dig down into my mulch and see tons of soil organisms in a healthy moist environment, while every where around me is dry and sandy

Awwww, lovely, @roadrunner !

 

[Durgan]

Mulch and lots of it. I use wood chips. I water from four roof barrels 50 gal each by HAND and wheelbarrow. Only plant roots get watered.

22 May 2016 Watering
Posted on May 22, 2016 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2016/May 2016/22 May 2016 Watering/HTML 22 May 2016 Watering
Every effort is made to use rainwater for watering. There are four 45 gallon drums for collection, two on each side of the house. The water is transported to the garden area by wheelbarrow. This is feasible since less than 2000 square feet is under cultivation. Each plant gets one measured pail of water to it roots, when deemed necessary. This is possible accurately using the hand pail. Watering is spread throughout the week so the task is not onerous. Watered today were 24 tomato, cucumbers, and Brussels spouts. Experience indicates that this saturation root watering is very effective and places water where required on the root area.

 

[ibrahim908]

Getting some industrial containers is a good idea. Mulch is another option. The ground is probably littered with fallen leaves and whatnot. During harsh winters, mulching keeps your plants alive by suppressing weeds, retaining moisture, and keeping out ice and snow.

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

Saving water is very important for our environment and also for our budget. Don't you think so? If you have a garden, I have got some tips for you that will help you to save water.
1. Rainwater - it is very usefull to water our garden, so don't waste it. Put a big barrel near drainpippe and then use rainwater rather than tap water.
2. Use the right amount of water - sometimes people use too much water
3. Plant flowers that need less amount water - for example perfect are lavender, palms, mimosa and verbena.
What are your methods to save water in garden?

Don't forget sand and cactus!

 

[Neno Baylov]

The roots of the trees are water pumps in nature, the roots of the trees extract water from the lower layers of the soil. Look at the story of this man, a man with capital letters. https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/yacouba-sawadogo/

 

[davefrommd]

FourishAnn, we are in Texas, famous for drought or downpours--we can't seem to hit a middle ground on water! We have three 250 gal. cubes to save rainwater off roofs, and three 55 gal. barrels. All the water that goes on vegetables and flowers, and into the chicken waterers in the coops, is rainwater. Our cubes have been emptied just once, during the historic drought in 2011.
People see our vegetables or flowers during the dry months and comment on how high our water bills must be. When we show them our latest bill, they can't believe how low it is. Well surprise, rain water is free once you get the catchment set up!
Here is the cube that gets water off the garage roof and is used for the fruit trees. The two that catch water off the barn hold water for the hens and vegetable gardens. The barrels are used to water our flower beds. I spend a lot of time hauling water in buckets or watering cans, but I do get to know my plants!
View attachment 37304

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I have twin barrels under my down pipes, hundred litres at the front, two hundred at the back and on the greenhouse. The diverters supplied with the barrels only divert some of the water coming down the pipe and get blocked easily by sand from the tiles, moss and leaves. The down pipe from the roof feeds straight into one barrel and the overflow from that feeds the other barrel. The overflow from the second barrel runs to the soak-away. During the summer I use the water from the barrel fed by the down pipe first, then when it is empty I can clear out the detritus and add it to the compost (lovely stuff) while I use the water from the second barrel.
Mosquitoes can be a problem, I use a wipe of manhole grease around the lid (No building site jokes please, it is heavy grease used for sealing manholes with a double lip that carry sewage, and stops the smell) which stops them getting access.