Is your garden struggling with the heat? Follow these simple water-saving tips to protect plants and wildlife throughout the summer.
1. Dig deeper
Raise the blades on your lawnmower to around 8cm - longer grass means deeper roots and more drought resilience.
2. Water stops
Create water collection points around your garden by digging buckets of bowls into the ground to collect rainwater. You can then fill up your watering can on the spot.
3. Better get a butt
Not only do water butts cut water bills, but the soft rainwater they catch is better for plants than treated tap water. A water butt can save up to 5,000 litres of water each year.
Browse our water butts collection here.
4. Wise watering
Water your outdoor plants in the early morning or later in the evening to stop water evaporating in the midday heat. Take care to water the soil so moisture goes straight to the plant’s roots rather than wasting water on foliage.
Established plants will be more resilient during dry periods so concentrate on watering seedlings and young plants. Don't overdo it though; watering too often will cause shallow rooting and weaken the plant.
Giving plants a good soak once a week is better than light watering every day and also saves time. Using a watering can rather than a hose or sprinkler will use less water.
5. Mulch moisture
Composting provides you with your own compost to use as a water-retaining mulch cover for soil. Add a layer of mulch around trees and plants, especially after rain, to slow the evaporation of moisture and stop the surface from drying out.
Other materials that make good mulches are leaves, lawn clippings and animal manure.
Lay the layers at least 5cms thick after first removing weeds. As it decomposes and is taken into the soil by worms and other organisms, the material feeds plants and micro-organisms in the soil.
Check out composters, such as the best-selling Blackwall Compost Converter and the unbeatable HotBin, which takes all food waste, including bones.
6. Tray tip
Place drip-trays beneath pots to collect drainage. Remove them in winter to avoid water logging.
7. Reduce watering frequency
Make the most of the water you give your plants with Water-Genius Organic water retainer. Add a small amount to water in your watering can to help plants make the best use of water, nutrients, and oxygen in the root zone, reducing how often you need to water them.
8. Save wastewater
You don't need to use fresh tap water on your plants, household wastewater does the job just as well. Read more here.
9. Top choices
We love the following products for their water-saving ways:
The Plantsurge magnetic plant growth booster is a clever contraption containing magnets that clips on to a hose or watering can and magnetises water as you water your plants. As if by magic, plants grow bigger and better and need watering less frequently.
The most stylish way to ensure that plants are steadily watered is with Ollas ceramic plant waterers – ideal if you’re away or just busy.
The pots release water directly into the soil, allowing each plant to receive exactly what it requires.
Place it in your planter, fill it and its natural flow regulation will maintain the right moisture levels. Thanks to the porosity of the clay, the plant absorbs the amount of water it needs, exactly when it needs it.
The Irrigatia C12 Solar Automatic Watering System uses solar power to detect the weather and alter watering according to the conditions, providing plants with the precise irrigation to help them thrive.
It filters water straight from your water butt so your stored water will constantly be used, preventing stagnation.
Automatic watering systems generally use 90 per cent less water than a hosepipe.
10. Eco care
Gardens aren't just about plants, they're also about wildlife.
Leave a container of water for birds to drink and bathe in. For bees and other insects leave out a saucer of water with stones for them to land on.
Keep at hand this essential Bee revival kit - a special keyring that contains a bee food syrup, an emergency solution to revive exhausted bees when there are no flowers nearby.
