Tips For Your Garden During a Hosepipe Ban

1. Compost, mulches & bark

A great way to ensure your gardens success is to give the soil the capacity to hold more water. By adding in organic matter such as compost or mulch, you are giving your soil a chance at storing up to 20 times its weight in water. This means less irrigation water is needed as your plants can receive more hydration through the soil.

2. Collect water

While you can’t use a hose to water your garden, there are a number of ways you can collect water and reuse it to give your plants the best chance. Try saving the water used when washing up (providing bleach hasn’t been used) or bath water by decanting it into buckets and using on the garden. Anything that’s left over can be stored and used the following days. When it does rain, use whatever you can to store it such as water butts, dustbins, barrels or storage tubs.

3. Water in the morning or evening

Using the water you’ve saved, the best time to water your garden is either in the morning or evening. Watering in the morning will prevent the moisture evaporating before the plant has a chance to absorb it and evening watering gives your plants the chance to soak it all up throughout the night.

4. Target the base

The quickest way for plants to absorb water is if you target their roots as they will take moisture from the surrounding soil or compost. You should also prioritise the plants that need water the most, especially ones that have been planted recently and have not yet got an established root system.

5. Only water if you need to

This goes without saying but always check if your soil needs watering or not. Over watering can cause more harm than good. Even though the temperatures continue to rise, your garden might not need to be watered every day.

By following these tips, your garden should survive the summer and keep looking lush!