Water is precious, so are our lawns and gardens. Lawns & gardens keep our homes cooler, help the environment maintain a sustainable balance and no doubt also help display our front yards and backyards look near to perfection. However they need to be taken care of, not only in the respect of watering but keeping them healthy and hence making them water wise. I have put together some useful tips to help you create a water-wise lawn and garden.
Fertilise lawns 3-4 times a year
This will produce a strong, healthy root system which will enable lawns to survive under stressful conditions a lot longer than a lawn that is never fertilised. The same goes for garden plants. Keep these fertilised; particularly with organic type fertilisers and they too will respond. The use of wetting agents will also help your garden & lawn and reduce your current water bill.
Watering once a week in summer is sufficient for most warm season lawns.
For effective watering, water your lawns & gardens early morning and avoid when windy and hot.
Deeply penetrating irrigations that wet the soil to a considerable depth encourage deep rooting and result in a more vigorous, higher quality turf. When I say longer watering, I mean the approximate time it would usually take to fill a shallow container up to 2.5 cm. (This will naturally vary due to water pressure etc).
Eradicate weeds, as they soak up more water.
Mulch garden beds wherever appropriate with Munns Water Saving Mulch to restrict evaporation.
Use sprinklers with a low projectory or dripper irrigation systems to efficiently & effectively water your lawns and gardens. (Check with your State's water restrictions)
