Conserving Water in Your Garden
When we garden, we rarely think that what we are doing could be harmful for the ecosystem, but if we don’t pay close enough attention to what we are doing we can actually cause more harm than good. Green lawns and gardens take a lot of water to maintain, especially if you live in a dry climate. Conserving the amount of water that you use is surprisingly easy if you pay attention and make a few small changes.
Know When to Water
Water your yard during the coolest part of the day to reduce the amount of water that evaporates. Early morning is best time because watering at night can leave your yard susceptible to fungus and disease.
Know How to Water
Water deeply and focus on the roots of your plants. Watering the foliage does little good for your plant and wastes a lot of water.
Pay attention to where you place your sprinkler or hose. You should only be watering your lawn and garden, not the sidewalk or fence. This may take a bit more patience on your part to set a sprinkler but it will also help to make sure that you water the area you intend to.
Always replace your garden hoses to their hose holders once you are done watering. Leaving hoses out will ruin them and kill your lawn.
Use Native Plants
Focus on using plants that are native to your area in your lawn and garden. Native plants generally only require the amount of water that nature already provides and require less maintenance than other species.
Use Mulch
Using mulch in your garden has many benefits such as weed reduction and root protection, but it also helps to lock moisture into the soil.
Harvest Water
Use a rain barrel to harvest rainwater. Connect it to a rain gutter on your home to make use of water that would otherwise evaporate. Add a screen on top to keep bugs and debris from falling in.
Limit the Area
Space your plants as closely as possible to limit the area that you have to water. Using raised garden beds is a great way to limit the area of space that you use. Just make sure that you don’t overcrowd your plants and allow enough room for root development.
You can also limit the area that you need to water by adding a deck or a patio to your yard. A deck or patio will create a nice area for you to sit and enjoy your yard without requiring any watering.
