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In the Garden

Gardening is an important part of the lifestyle of most Territorians, whether we live in the tropical Top End or the arid Centre.

As much as 60% of the water households use is in the garden. But smart choices can dramatically decrease the amount of water needed to create an outdoor sanctuary around our homes.

What You Could Do Today

• Wash cars, boats and bikes on the lawn so that the grass is watered at the same time. Use a bucket and sponge for soaping and a trigger nozzle on your hose for rinsing.

• Money Saver Cutting the time you use the pool filter from 7 hours to 5 hours a day will save about $100 a year. Find out the least amount you need to run your filter to keep your pool clean.

  Sweep your paths and drives instead of hosing them down.
• Water less after 8pm. If you water during the day, you can lose as much as 50% of your water through evaporation.
• Water the roots of your plants, not the leaves. Water on the leaves evaporates easily and can lead to scorching.
• Pull out the weeds – they’re using up your precious water and nutrients
• Lightly fertilise your lawn. It will use up to 30% less water than an unfertilised lawn of the same grass type.
• When you mow, don’t go too low: 4cm or higher is fine. This encourages a deeper root system and the grass shades the soil,
  reducing evaporation.
• Adjust automatic sprinkler systems – new gardens require more water than established gardens, so after your garden
  is established adjust to a lower setting.

Planning ahead

• Consider installing solar lighting in outdoor garden areas.
• Use mulch. It keeps water in and salt levels down. You can mulch with just about anything natural: leaf litter, wood or bark chips, compost, straw, hay, sand, river-stones and even paper. Mulching can decrease evaporation of water from the soil by as much as 75%.
• Install a drip system. Dripper systems are cheap, easy to install and the best way to put water where it is needed – on the
  roots of your plants.
• Use a timer on your garden taps to make your garden even more water-efficient.
• When planning a garden, group plants with similar water needs together.
• Use trees to create natural shade and windbreaks to reduce evaporation.
• Choose native plants which need less water and will provide a habitat and food for birds and insects. This helps with pest control.
• Wherever you can, direct the water run off from downpipes and airconditioners towards high water-use areas.
• Reduce the area of lawn. Lawns consume 90% of water and most of the energy used in most gardens. They also take the
  greatest amount of time and money to maintain. Lawns need mowing, weeding, edging and fertilising and equipment requires fuel and maintenance.
• Check that your automatic irrigation system is doing its job properly. If it isn’t, you may be using more water than you would with hand held hoses and sprinklers. If it’s raining, turn it off!
• Invest in a trigger nozzle on your hose as this avoids watering areas between plants and gives you better control.
• Install and use a timer for your pool and spa filter. Only run the filter for as long as is required to keep the water clean.
• Monitor the quality of the water to ensure the filtering process is adequate.
• Turn your sprinkler system off during the wet season.
• Give the garden a good soak once a week.

Adjust automatic sprinkler systems – new gardens require more water than established gardens, so after your garden is established adjust to a lower setting. For more information about what you can do in the garden, contact your nearest ‘wise about water’ garden centre. To find one go to www.ngia.com.au

 

 

Green Guide References: Synergy Energy, Aurora Energy, The Australian Greenhouse Office, CoolMOB Northern Territory

All costs included in the Green Guide are guides only. Actual costs will vary according to size and brand of appliance as well as where and how the appliance is used.

November 2007