Tips for saving water in the garden:
- Water your plants, fruit and veg with a watering can instead of a hosepipe. Plants drink from the roots so water at the base of the plant rather than watering leaves. This gives your plants a drink but means there is less water going to waste.
- Never leave your sprinkler* on overnight. It is counter-productive, because when it's wet and dark, it will encourage snails and slugs to come out and they will eat your plants. A sprinkler left running use between 500 and 1,000 litres of water an hour. Instead, try using a watering can early in the morning before the sun is fully risen.
- Use a straw mulch on top of your plants as it retains moisture and stops the soil drying out quickly. This can be bought from a garden centre.
- If you are planting new plants to spruce up the garden, choose plants that will flourish with less water. Visit our gardening section here to find out what types of plant to look out for.
- Preparing your lawn for the summer months? Add any lawn treatment when it is due to rain rather than using a hosepipe. Rainwater is also much more nutritious than tap water as it contains nitrogen that boosts growth. Plus, over watering encourages weed growth.
- Install a water butt in your garden or use drip trays to catch water and use the stored rainwater in your garden.
- Don’t over-water your lawn as this encourages roots to grow closer to the surface, making the roots sensitive in drought and dry periods and encourages weeds. A lawn may turn brown but will quickly recover in the wetter months.
- Use a watering can instead of a hose or sprinkler and water plants in the evening or first thing in the morning, as sun and wind can take away moisture.
- If the paddling pool is out, don't fill it to the top and let it spill over. You could save 30 litres of water for every inch, that's enough water for a family of four to drink in a week! And once you're done, why not use the water from your pool to water your plants?
Please note, if you do use a sprinkler, you must be on a water meter. If you don't have a water meter you can apply for water meter online.
Also, if you spot a leak in the street, please help us to fix it quickly by reporting a leak online.