Water early in the morning
Watering early in the morning allows water to run down into the soil and reach the roots of the plant without losing too much to evaporation. Reducing sprinkler times by 2 minutes per station will also save a significant amount of water.
Improve your soil
Good soil is the foundation of a healthy waterwise garden, and the healthier your soil is, the more drought resistant your plants will be. Apply a soil improver with a wetting agent and water in well until it foams. This means the wetting agent is activated and doing its job.
Mulch!
Mulch is like sunscreen for your soil. Applying mulch to your garden can greatly reduce water evaporation, improve the soil, reduce plant stress and weed growth, as well as improve the appearance of your garden. Mulches also keep weeds from cropping up around your plants as it blocks out the sun and helps keep your soil and plants cool.
Create watering zones
Creating zones based on your plants’ watering needs lets you to set up your garden with irrigation stations which will deliver the required amount of water for each group of plants. This is known as hydrozoning.
Remember to only water once on your rostered watering days, even if you're using a bore.
Check your sprinkler system
Irrigation systems are an effortless way of watering your garden, but they must be working efficiently. You need to check them regularly for leaks and blockages. Hint: The first sign that your sprinkler system is faulty, is dead plants!
- Perform a test run before summer arrives.
- Check for broken sprinkler heads – they can deteriorate in the sun and get damaged by gardening equipment and cars.
- Check for sprinkler heads that are not producing any water – you could have a blockage.
- Tighten any sprinkler heads any that may have become loose.
- Make sure your timer is working.
- Also, make sure the sprinklers are pointing in the right direction you could find yourself watering your house, paving or car!
Source: Water Corporation
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