Amateur Gardening – 10 July 2019

6 JULY 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 43

Do’s & don’ts of improving

water efficiency

Do

✓Check with your water supplier which watering systems

you are allowed to use. Some require a metered supply.^

✓Break up soil surface to reduce run-off and aid water

penetration – it also reduces evaporation by ‘wicking’.^

✓Water regularly, about once a week in summer unless

there is heavy, persistent rain, to stop soil drying out.^

✓Water free-draining soils more frequently, but use less

water. Heavy clay soils should need watering less often

but may need more water.

✓Mulch garden beds after watering to hold moisture in the

soil, but do not bury seep hoses or drippers under mulch.^

Don’t
✗Let weeds establish in flower and veg beds.
✗Spray water around willy-nilly; instead, apply it to the
base of a plant so it goes straight to the roots.
✗Water in hot sun. You need to do it in the early morning
(when soil is cool) or late evening (when soil is cooling).
✗Overwater. The RHS suggests up to 5¼ gallons per
10ft^2 (24 litres per square metre) every seven-10 days.
✗Scalp your lawn. Longer grass is more drought-tolerant.

1

Weed the bed thoroughly,

breaking up the surface to

improve water penetration. Work

some compost into the surface.

2

Lay a seep hose or drip hose

around the bed, running it close

to the base of plants, with the hose

connector at the edge of the bed.

3

Clip garden hose to the seep

hose connector and turn on the

water. Check connectors along the

length of the hose, deal with leaks.

4

Check water penetration after

half an hour. Note length of time

for water to reach 6in (15cm) deep,

and use as watering time in future.

Using

controlled-

release

Step

by step

The language of hoses and sprinklers

every few inches to deliver a fine mist

spray along its length.

Lawn sprinkler:

Device that delivers either waving

(oscillating) or spinning jets of water

to cover a wide area.

Fine:

What you will pay if you use a

controlled watering system in

contravention of your local water

supplier’s rules.

Seep or soaker hose:

Porous length of hose that allows

droplets of water to seep out along

its length.

Drip hose:

Watertight, usually small-bore hose

that is cut to length from plant to plant

to fit a junction with a slow-drip nozzle

or mini sprinkler.

Sprinkler hose:

Watertight hose with tiny holes drilled

Anatomy of controlled-release

hoses and sprinklers

Sprinklers have tiny

holes releasing

water in a mist

or a fine spray.

Oscillating or lawn

sprinklers use jets

or sprays of water to

cover a wide area.

A seep or soaker

hose ‘sweats’

water droplets

along its length.

Drip hoses are cut

to fit junctions from

plant to plant with

slow-drip nozzles.

Do’s & don’ts of improving

Check with your supplier

which system you can use

Break up the soil

surface to reduce run-off

Don’t bury drip hoses

under mulch

watering hoses