Waterwise Ways
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane and Neville Passmore
Episode: 22 (22nd September 2007)
Water use has been one of the single biggest concerns for homeowners’ right across the country in recent years. It has not only been biting our back pockets but also our conscience, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Living with water restrictions over the past few years has actually shown us we can have a beautiful and productive garden with just two 15mm drinks per week.
For best results you have to enrich your garden soil with a good soil improver, sometimes also known as soil conditioner. A good mix is made up of rich organic compost material which acts as a sponge absorbing nutrients and moisture and holding it around the plants root system longer.
Combine your soil improver with a thick layer of organic mulch and you reduce the evaporation of moisture from your soil and that of course helps your plants not to show those signs of stress.
There are a lot of exotic plant species that originate from hot dry climates similar to Australia. These plants once established will get by with very little supplementary watering.
Possibly the ultimate form of Waterwise gardening is to grow local area native plants. Once you establish these plants they will require no supplementary watering at all.
Two 15mm drinks per week is all your garden needs, even during the summer.
Grey water recycling systems are brilliant and purple pipe irrigation is the way of the future in our hot dry climate. Capturing rain water is important too.
There is a huge range of common sense things we can and must do in the garden, like not using the hose in the hot afternoon. As a general rule, water before 9am and after 6pm, plants are able to absorb water much more effectively in the early morning.
You should also never use the hose to wash down the car or paths and driveways; it’s just a waste of water. If you are going to drag the hose around the garden you should purchase a click on hose fitting, which can be easily turned on and off, they stop you wasting water when walking from one place to the next.
Over the next ten weeks the Gurus will show you lots of practical ways that will enable you to have the garden of your dreams without wasting water. The ideas will be simple, inexpensive and most importantly they will deliver you the ultimate result, a beautiful garden using less water.
For more information on water efficiency measures, visit
www.waterwisewaysforwa.com.au
Episode: 22 (22nd September 2007)
Water use has been one of the single biggest concerns for homeowners’ right across the country in recent years. It has not only been biting our back pockets but also our conscience, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Living with water restrictions over the past few years has actually shown us we can have a beautiful and productive garden with just two 15mm drinks per week.
For best results you have to enrich your garden soil with a good soil improver, sometimes also known as soil conditioner. A good mix is made up of rich organic compost material which acts as a sponge absorbing nutrients and moisture and holding it around the plants root system longer.
Combine your soil improver with a thick layer of organic mulch and you reduce the evaporation of moisture from your soil and that of course helps your plants not to show those signs of stress.
There are a lot of exotic plant species that originate from hot dry climates similar to Australia. These plants once established will get by with very little supplementary watering.
Possibly the ultimate form of Waterwise gardening is to grow local area native plants. Once you establish these plants they will require no supplementary watering at all.
Two 15mm drinks per week is all your garden needs, even during the summer.
Grey water recycling systems are brilliant and purple pipe irrigation is the way of the future in our hot dry climate. Capturing rain water is important too.
There is a huge range of common sense things we can and must do in the garden, like not using the hose in the hot afternoon. As a general rule, water before 9am and after 6pm, plants are able to absorb water much more effectively in the early morning.
You should also never use the hose to wash down the car or paths and driveways; it’s just a waste of water. If you are going to drag the hose around the garden you should purchase a click on hose fitting, which can be easily turned on and off, they stop you wasting water when walking from one place to the next.
Over the next ten weeks the Gurus will show you lots of practical ways that will enable you to have the garden of your dreams without wasting water. The ideas will be simple, inexpensive and most importantly they will deliver you the ultimate result, a beautiful garden using less water.
For more information on water efficiency measures, visit
www.waterwisewaysforwa.com.au
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