Less is more
You might think you’re doing the right thing by giving the garden a quick spritz every day, but thorough watering less often is a far better approach. Plants absorb water through their root systems, it makes sense to deliver water as close to the root zone as possible and the best way to do this is proper watering. Surface watering will hit the top soil and foliage (and of course, is far better than not watering at all). But a good long soak, less often, will encourage deeper root growth and promote robust and luscious foliage.
For hand watering smaller gardens and balconies, a spray gun is essential. The Nylex range of Spray Guns have ergonomic one-handed flow control and an instant click on/off control for easy use. For larger gardens, the Oscillating Sprinkler Plus is the most versatile sprinkler in the Nylex range. Adjustable spray patterns reaching up to a 5m distance ensuring water gets to exactly where it needs to go.
Timing is everything
The best time to water plants is early in the morning before the sun moves high up into the sky and starts bearing down heat on delicate foliage. Watering early helps plants get their much-needed cell hydration and reduces water loss caused by evaporation. Tap Timers are a practical solution; a timer will let you ‘set and forget’ watering during the cooler hours of the day, and help to prevent overwatering errors like forgetting to turn the tap or sprinkler off.
Stop the leaks
Leaky taps, hoses and fittings can rapidly waste water so choosing the right fittings can have a huge impact not only on your plants, but also on the environment and on your wallet. Nylex’s Hose Connectors with Stop Valves come with a practical built-in feature which stops the flow of water when swapping between watering accessories. This means you can click off one watering accessory and put on another one while the tap is still running without water spurting everywhere.
Watch the weather
It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the weather forecast too, to prevent unnecessary watering before rain is on the way. A Rain Gauge or Weather Station can help monitor the amount of rainfall in your garden so you can see if your plants are getting enough water either from home sources or natural sources.
The Nylex weather stations are also great for seasonal gardening, where some delicate plants or crops will need further protection, you will be able to monitor temperature, rainfall and humidity across days, weeks, months and even years.
Retain moisture
Ultimately, our goal is to care for our gardens efficiently and sustainably whilst giving our plants every possible chance to flourish. Composting and mulching will enhance a garden bed’s ability to retain moisture and reduce the amount of watering required. Composting also improves soil structure and promotes a healthy soil biome. Adding a layer of compost and mulch to your garden beds will reduce evaporation, and reduce the need for excess watering.
Many local councils have information sessions or infographics on composting and how to make the most of your domestic waste for gardening purposes. In fact, so important is composting to our environment, there is an International Compost Awareness Week in May each year. Annually, over half of our domestic rubbish is made up of food and garden waste and this exact waste can easily be turned into a rich garden fertiliser through composting.
Making small adjustments to your garden watering plan can have a massive impact not just from our backyards and balconies, but on a global scale as well.