Hold Your Water

by Sharon Hanna

The Ten Commandments of Water Consciousness

Lately I have been noting with some alarm the frequency with which the preciousness of water is

being regarded. Here are some hints to help you conserve water, loosely adapted from the latest American Landscape Nursery newsletter. Use this info for yourselves and don't be afraid to remind your neighbours. They will appreciate it in the long run, and so will the planet.

Place your plants in groups according to the amount of water they need. This way, you won't over- or under-water parts of your lawn or garden. Sloping garden? Place drought tolerant plants at higher elevations, and thirsty ones at lower elevations. The water from the higher areas will trickle down to the water-demanding plants.

Always water in the early morning, before 9 or so. Mid to late afternoon watering loses much to evaporation, and evening watering encourages diseases such as mildew. (You'd be sick too, if you went to bed wearing wet pajamas)

Water slowly and deeply. Wear a walkman, or practice meditation as you water. Use the opportunity to slow down and get up close and personal with your plant material. More and more I find myself forgetting what is out there, and time flies. It is a delight to be surprised by the first indescribably red flowers of Lobelia cardinalis…If you like to water by hand, watering wands are effective, and put the water where you want it to go.

Invest in a new good-quality sprinkler, and throw away your leaky hose. Leaks waste water.

Avoid placing watering devices where they waste water on your driveway, deck or porch.

Keep up with regular mulching, pruning, composting, and taking care of your plants. Strong plants require less water than weaker ones.

Mulching holds in moisture, and reduces evaporation. Use grass from the mower, shredded pea vines, or whatever is handy. Even newspaper makes good mulch.

Avoid babying your plants (except newly-planted ones). Like people, plants need to "work out" to develop strength. It's fine to pamper the newly-planted, as they need time to establish strong roots.

Keep the garden reasonably weed-free, as weeds compete for water. Move container plants to shady areas during particularly hot and sunny spells. This will not only reduce water loss due to evaporation and watering, but keep your plants from blowing out in the heat.

Use a drip watering system. This can save up to 60% of the water used by sprinkler systems.

If you can stand it, practice 'letting go' - let your lawn go dormant. According to some experts, we may not be lucky enough to have a choice one of these days.

Choose an alternative to lawn such as wild flowers or tough ground cover. Most lawn grass will re-appear and green up quickly when (is there any doubt?) the rain returns.
 

- Sharon Hanna

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 © Copyright Sharon Hanna

The author is a Horticultural Writer for Terra Viva Organics

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