Droughts can be a big factor when living in Australia especially in recent times however, you don't need to let your garden suffer. Reducing your water consumption, choosing the right mulches, plants and lawn feed can greatly improve your landscaping without adding to a water shortage.
Watering
When watering your garden make sure you water more thoroughly not more often this will make sure the water penetrates the soil and encourage water-storing especially if you create holes with a fork prior to watering. You should choose the areas you water more carefully opting to water newer plants and soil areas rather than the more established ones. Another great tip for watering is to do so in the morning, you will lose less water to heat, wind and other influences from the weather later in the day.
Soils and Mulches
Choosing your soil wisely can limit the amount you need to water by buying soils that contain natural wetting agents, avoid using chemical wetting agents that could be harmful to animals. If you are working on your lawn instead of your flower beds you can use lawn top-dress and feeds to encourage the lawn to grow, these can also contain wetting agents during dry periods. Immediately covering the areas you water with mulches can help keep the water in, this is only helpful if the ground is wet mulching dry areas won't help with wetting.
Water Harvesting
More of a pre-emptive action during the wet seasons you could create a rain garden that uses tank water, runoff water and other water sources to naturally water your garden, find out more about water gardens. Redirecting greywater from sources such as washing machines can "kill two birds with stone" this can be particularly helpful during a drought as one action can help the other without doubling up on water use. Investing in a rain tank can allow you to harvest water to allocate for your gardening and other uses.
Plants and Hoses
Choosing plants that thrive in a dry climate can significantly lower your water usage, they don't need to be just Australian plants you can use plants from other countries with similar climates. When watering lookout for any leaks or cracks in your equipment as this can be wasting water without you knowing, you don't need to buy new you can repair these leaks.
Check out our great range of soils and mulches that can help you with achieving the above, if you are unsure which ones are right for dry climates contact us we will be happy to help!
