 |
 |
Don't waste your
washing-up water, use it in the garden; |
|
Use a watering
can instead of a hose around the base of plants
and trees - not on leaves. Make a slight depression
in the soil around plants that need regular watering
to prevent run-off. Watering between plants can
encourage weeds and increase your work; |
|
Think twice before
watering the lawn with a sprinkler as too much watering
encourages shallow root growth and makes it less
able to resist droughts; |
|
Help your garden
benefit from your efforts by only watering in the
evening or early morning when the sun is lower and
less evaporation occurs; |
|
Buy a water butt
to collect rainwater for use on the garden. Remember
that rainwater is free; |
|
Put patio plants
in larger containers as they need less frequent
watering. Group small pots together in a tray of
water to help them survive hot days; |
|
If you use a hosepipe,
fit a trigger nozzle to control the flow; |
|
Mulches such as
wood chips, bark and gravel help to prevent water
evaporation; |
|
Give your garden
an exotic look and buy drought tolerant plants; |
|
Use mulches or
groundcover to lower the soil temperature, keep
weeds down and help hold moisture in the soil; |
|
During dry weather,
cut your lawn less frequently as this helps it trap
dew and reduces evaporation from the soil. Remember
an established lawn will not die just because of
a dry spell. Use grass cuttings as mulch elsewhere
in the garden, or leave them on the lawn to hold
moisture and return nutrients to the soil; |
|
Provide shelter
for your garden with tough trees and shrubs around
areas where plants tend to suffer in dry weather; |
|
Improve your soil's
ability to hold moisture by digging in plenty of
organic matter such as compost. If you have clay
soils you might like to add some sharp grit to the
mixture; |
|
Group vegetables
according to their water needs and then water accordingly
as this will save you over watering vegetables you
don't need to. Check the watering and planting instructions
on the seed packets before you plant them out; |
|
There's no need
to water fruit trees and bushes after the fruit
starts to swell. With soft fruit, harvest the crop
as early as possible and carry on pruning at the
same time to reduce water stress for the rest of
the summer; |
|
Provide shade for
ponds by covering half to two thirds of the water
surface with floating plants. This provides shade
for fish and cuts down on evaporation. |
|
| Use
this guide to learn how to use water responsibly. |
|
|
Water Efficiency at Tendring |
|
Water
efficiency in the home |
|
Water efficiency
in the garden |
|
|
| Leakage |
|
What
is Tendring Hundred doing to reduce leaks? |
|
Why
do pipes leak? |
|
How
to check for leaks |
|
What
to do if you find a leak |
