Level 1 water restrictions are now in place for Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. This means when it comes to caring for your garden there is to be no use of standard sprinklers and watering systems at any time and hoses and taps cannot be left running unattended.
You can however water your lawns and gardens with a watering can or bucket, by hand held hose before 10 am or after 4 pm, as long as your hose is fitted with a trigger nozzle, water your garden with drip irrigation systems or with watering systems with one or more of these features: automated weather adjustment, rain sensor, soil moisture sensor.
Regardless of whether you are in Greater Sydney, we can all do our bit to save a little water. Plus now is the perfect time to develop good gardening and watering habits to keep your plants looking good in every season.
Hand watering is an essential part of gardening. We love getting out there early in the morning with a hose in one hand and a cuppa in the other. It’s the perfect form of meditation. Just you and your garden. Hand watering also gives you a chance to get up close and personal with your plants, to spot early signs that they are unhappy or get on top of pest and disease problems before they take control.
Lawns and gardens can be watered with a hand held hose before 10 am or after 4 pm, as long as your hose is fitted with a spray gun, so get your hands on a Nylex Premium spray gun. It has 7 different functions for all your watering needs and allows you to easily shut the water on and off with its simple to use click control design – so there’s no wastage.
You’ll also need a long handled spray wand for hard to reach places. It’s perfect for watering deep garden beds and allows you to direct the water down low, to get it to the roots of your plants. Watering at the roots reduces water loss to wind and evaporation and gets water to where the plants need it most.
It also makes sense to water deeply but less often. It encourages plants to develop stronger, deeper root systems, which gives them a better chance of thriving through dry conditions.
In level 1 restrictions you can water your garden with a drip irrigation system that delivers water directly to the roots of your plants, like Nylex’s Flat Weeper Hose. Water seeps from thousands of tiny pores, and soaks deep into the soil, minimising water loss. And because it gets water directly to the root system, the plants are happy, there’s less weed growth and less risk of fungal attack. You can also water lawns and gardens with a watering can or bucket at anytime, so get out the big blue Nylex watering can. The watering rose is peppered with small holes that give you an even distribution of fine water droplets, so water can soak deep into the roots and the two handles make it easier to hold and control.
Using grey water is another smart way to keep your garden looking good during periods of restrictions without relying on tap or tank water. So use a Nylex premium grey water hose to drain grey water to buckets or directly into your garden. It is easily connected to your washing machine. Just be sure to use a garden-friendly laundry detergent, disperse the grey water around the garden and use it to water your flower beds and borders – not the vegie patch.
It also pays off to improve your soil. So give garden beds a good dose of organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure to nourish and improve the soil and increase its water holding capacity.
Wetting agents can help to overcome water repellence in soils and potting mix to ensure that the water that is being applied can soak deep into the roots.
And remember a well mulched garden means less water and less work. A good layer of mulch just 5 cm thick can reduce water evaporation from the soil surface by as much as 70%. It also helps to suppress weeks and gives the whole garden a fresh new look. With time organic mulches like pea straw and lucerne also break down, and in doing so improve the structure and condition of the soil.
Click below to see Nylex water saving products and where to purchase:
Spray guns and wands
Watering Cans
Weeper Hoses
Rain Gauges
Water Saving Products