Water-Wise Gardening: Essential Tips for Conserving Water in Your Garden

We all enjoy long warm summers (well, most of us do!), but low rainfall means we need to conserve water where possible. 

Specifically, in dry weather, our lawns need to be watered to survive. The longer your lawn is left without water, the more water it’ll need to recover it (if it’s salvageable!) … they are usually the thirstiest part of a garden! 

Although we often take it for granted, we all know that water is a precious resource. So when it comes to maintaining our gardens, it’s vital that we learn to be water-wise and conserve as much as possible.

•    Let the grass grow longer in dry spells – do not cut any shorter than 50mm (2’’). This will keep moisture in the soil and will help when the rain comes. 

•    The most efficient time to irrigate is between sunset and sunrise due to less evaporation, less wind, and lower temperatures. Early morning is the next most efficient time to irrigate; watering in the middle of the day is not advised due to the amount of evaporation taking place at this point in the day.

•    Avoid runoff - If you apply water faster than the lawn can absorb it, the water runs off into oblivion. That’s wasteful, so don’t do that. Instead, we'd recommend watering your lawn for 20 minutes at a time early in the morning or late in the evening.

•    The other method is to remove thatch, a layer that builds up near the surface of a lawn and dramatically slows water penetration.

•    Install a water butt – you can collect your rainwater and use this on your lawn and plants. 

•    Make use of greywater in the garden

•    Healthy composted soil will keep moisture and nutrients. 

Our Oasis treatments helps reduce the amounts of water your lawn needs – up to 80%! It helps your soil make the very best use of any available moisture whilst saving you time and energy! You can learn more here: https://www.greenthumb.co.uk/pages/oasis-water-conserver