How many ways can you save water in your garden?

Keeping lawns:

A lush, green lawn is every gardener's pride and joy. But keeping them lush and green uses an awful lot of water. Did you know that hoses and sprinklers typically use about 1000 litres of water an hour? This is more than 12 baths.

  • Throughout the summer months you should stop watering your lawns. Grass is very hardy - if it goes brown it will soon bounce back as soon as it rains again.

Real versus artificial grass

At first glance artificial grass – made from plastic – might appear to be the water efficient alternative to real grass, as it doesn’t need to be watered.

But that isn't quite right.

  • It takes around 3,744 litres of water to manufacture 1 square metre of artificial grass. This has been estimated to be equivalent of watering a real lawn for 18 years.
  • In addition, people will sometimes wash their plastic turf to keep it clean, using even more water.

 

Plants in the garden:

Looking after your outdoor planting doesn't need to use a lot of tap water. Just follow these ordinary steps to keep your garden as water-efficient as possible:

  • Water in the early morning or late afternoon, when evaporation rates are the lowest.
  • Use mulch or bark in your garden, it will help to reduce evaporation by up to 75% and keep water in the ground for longer.
  • Similarly, hydrogels in flowerbeds and hanging baskets are known to aid the slow release of water over time, reducing the need to water the garden as frequently.
  • Add some drought-resistant plants to your garden to add a bit of diversity and resilience in the summer.
  • When you run a tap or shower to get hot water, collect the run off in watering cans or buckets, and use this to water your plants. You'll be surpised how much you'll save.
  • You can also use dirty water from baths, showers, or washing up to water plants. Just remember this is dirty water and should be used immediately, and never on fruit/veg or near children.

Check the weather before you water. If you know rain is forecast, give it a miss today.

 

Garden Equipment:

Take stock of the amount of water you're using in your garden, and where it's coming from.

  • Water butts are a brilliant method to catch a large amount of rainwater which will reduce your demand for tap water.
  • Watering cans help significantly reduce the amount of water used (compared to sprinklers) whilst getting the desired amount of your plants.

There is currently a hosepipe ban, so the following equipment should not be used by customers in Cornwall and parts of North Devon:

  • Pressure washers - should only be used sparingly or not at all as they use an incredible amount of water. If buying one, look out for water-efficient models.
  • Attaching a trigger nozzle on your hosepipe will halve the amount of water used when watering. Use it to target your watering to the base of the plants only to avoid wasting water where it isn't needed.