Ways to save water

Almost 100,000 litres of rain water falls on our roofs each year, so here’s how to collect and make the most of it. Conserving this resource is very important as it will in-turn lessen water restrictions, help protect wildlife and reduce climate change impacts.  

Tips for everyday gardening

• Use a watering can instead of a hose.
• If using a hose use a trigger to control the flow.
• Water the garden late at night or early in the morning so that water doesn’t evaporate in the heat of the day before it can reach the roots.
• Leave watering as long as possible, as watering too often can keep roots shallow and weaken plants.
• Weed your garden regularly to ensure you’re helping plants not weeds.
• Water young plants and seedlings first, as more established plants will survive longer without water.

Saving water whist keeping your lawn healthy

Lawns are usually the part of the garden that take the most watering and do you know, using a sprinkler to water the lawn can use as much water in an hour as a family of 4 does in a day.

• Let grass grow longer in dry weather to help retain moisture.
• Watering less regularly will encourage roots to search deeper in the ground for water.
• When laying your lawn, choose grass types best suited to dry conditions such as fescue grass or smooth-stalked meadow.

Installing a water butt

By collecting rainwater from your gutters to use on your garden you will save a lot on water costs in the summer months.

Things to consider

• How close to the ground the tap on the water butt needs to be; it should be quite low to use as much water as possible, but not too low as it is more likely to clog up with debris.
• Invest in a stand if you want to fill a watering can from it.
• Think about how much water you’re likely to need when choosing the size, a number of butts can also be connected together to increase your reservoir.
• Consider a water butt with a removable lid for ease of cleaning but if necessary opt for a child proof fitting.
• Different taps are available, check fast-flowing taps as they maybe wider and therefore too large to fit a hose pipe.

Installing and using your water butt

• Place on a firm, flat surface and remember it must be strong enough to carry the weight when filled with water.
• Empty your water butt when there is a risk of freezing.
• To collect the water from your gutter it must be connected to a down pipe, if using a down pipe you will also need an overflow pipe to redirect water into the butt, this will also help to filter out the debris.
• Your water butt may come with appropriate holes or you will need to make them yourself but it should come with a guide as to where to place them.

Make use of grey water in your garden

Water from your shower, sink and laundry can be reused in the garden during the dry, summer, hosepipe banned months. Make sure you let the water cool down first and avoid using grey water from your bath and shower on edible plants.

Plan a water efficient garden

• Keep soil healthy and composted as it will retain water for longer.
• Add loose mulches or plastic around growing plants to prevent water evaporating.
• Opt for drought tolerant plants.