Your Garden and the World's Water

Did you know that all life on earth is sustained by only one percent of available water. Isn¹t that a miracle? While most of the earth¹s surface is covered in water, 97 percent is seawater. Most of the remaining three percent is locked up in ice caps and glaciers, deep underground or suspended as vapour in the air.

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Now that you know this, try these important tips for your garden in order to help conserve the water we can use, as well as minimizing the effort that you put into your garden. All that you have to do is put a little startup effort into the design. Here are some pointers (see the whole article on http://www.greatergoodsa.co.za/causes/catdisplay.jsp?article_id=1000002784)

- Group plants with similar water requirements in the same beds. Many sought after plants may require regular watering and should be grouped together in the most prominent part of the garden, where they are frequently seen and admired.

- Plants which may need watering only once a month should be considered for the rest of your garden.

- Don't cut your lawn too short during the growing season. Grass retains water better if it is slightly longer.

- Opt for indigenous grass types instead of the more expensive, tiresome international grasses being sold.

- Lawns are huge consumers of water. Therefore look at how much lawn you actually need for entertaining, children playing and pet exercising, and consider reducing the area without reducing your enjoyment, without paving the area with bricks or similar surfaces which result in too much heat going back into the atmosphere and negatively affecting the climate!!! Some narrow strips of grass may look better as flower beds or mulched walkways.

- Automatic sprinklers should irrigate lawns during early mornings in the summer months and late afternoons in the winter months.

- If it rains, override your irrigation system and remember that too much water results in shallow root growth and encourages fungal and other attacks on the grass.

- Light fertilising will reduce a lawn's need for water considerably and hollow tining compacted lawns allows more effective penetration and reduced run-off.

The main features, as always, is appreciate what you are given (like the rain), use only what you need (do not over water) and conserve what you have (overriding sprinklers and watering in the morning). Keep things in their natural place (use indigenous plants and grass) and don't be mean (cut grass too short). These things will keep your life and your garden, a simple pleasure.