Watering Wisely

Watering Wisely

Water in South Africa is a precious resource – for some handy tips regarding watering of our cherished gardens.

 
• Water in the early morning or late afternoon to reduce water loss to evaporation.

 

• In winter, water in the morning and water less often when evaporation rates are lower. Avoid watering deciduous plants when they are dormant.

 

• Water less if the weather is cool and overcast or if it has just rained. Some irrigation systems have rain sensors, which automatically turn the system off if there has been rain.

 

• Avoid watering your garden on windy days, when evaporation rates are higher.

 

• A drip irrigation system is the most water efficient technique of watering.

 

• Make the soil more water retentive by regularly adding compost.

 

• ‘Water train’ trees and large shrubs. By gradually changing from frequent, shallow watering to a less frequent, but deeper watering schedule, you can ‘train’ permanent plants to need less water. This approach encourages deep root growth that will sustain the plant during dry periods.

 

• Make large water basins around your trees and shrubs to hold the water while it slowly seeps into the soil.

 

• Once water wise trees and shrubs are established they do not require regular watering. Simply watch out for signs of stress during particularly hot or dry weather and then water deeply. Water stress indications are: die back of branches, lack of lustre in the leaves, yellowing or thinning foliage, leaf drop, scorched leaves and smaller-than-normal new leaves.

 

• Keep the soil well mulched to reduce evaporation. Leave a gap of 1cm between the tree bark and the mulch layer to prevent bark rot.

 

• Water lawns only when they need it. A lawn needs water if the grass blades do not spring back two minutes after being walked on and footprints are left, or if they take on a subtle bluish tinge.

 

• Water deeply, and less often, to encourage deep root growth, which makes the lawn more drought resistant. In sandy soils, irrigate more frequently but not so deeply, as deep watering will percolate right past the root zone and be lost to the plant.

 

• Aerate the lawn regularly to facilitate the penetration of water.

 

• Lawns in shady areas need less water than lawn areas in full sun. Reduce irrigation in shady lawn areas by monitoring the soil moisture and irrigating accordingly.

 

• Avoid having trees in the lawn area. They deprive the lawn of water, especially shallow-rooting trees.

 

• Water in the early morning. This allows the lawn to dry out during the day, making it less susceptible to diseases. It is also usually less windy at this time.