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Mulch Stops Weeds

Mulching the garden is another way to reduce water lost through evaporation. Mulch discourages weed growth, prevents erosion and evens out soil temperature variations. A good mulch of at least 75mm thick reduces evaporation from the soil surface by as much as 70 per cent. Every part of the garden can be mulched but it is important to ensure that the mulch is kept clear of tree trunks or plant stems to avoid possible fungal problems. The mulch can be of plant origin such as peat, karri or woodchip or inorganic like gravel, crushed brick or blue metal.

465 Million Litres in Gardens

With our subtropical climate, Queensland gardeners use a lot of water each and every day. In fact, it is estimated they use about 465 million litres or water per day. The WaterWise team in the Environmental Protection Agency has developed some helpful hints.

Don't Drown Plants

Be WaterWise in the garden and yard too. Too much love can drown your plants. Save 20 buckets by using a timer. A forgotten sprinkler wastes heaps of water, about 1000 litres an hour.

A good soak twice a week, that's all the garden needs to toughen up the plants and lawn. Water when it's cool and not too windy and water the roots, not the leaves. Use a good mulch to reduce evaporation to hold the water there. Get rid of the weeds as they use water too.

Give your wheels a bucketful, save two buckets by washing the car by hand. Don't leave the hose running, a bucket of soapy water is all the car needs, then give it a quick rinse with the hose.

A clean sweep is better, save two buckets by cleaning paths and driveways with a broom, much better than using a hose, which can use up to 100 litres.

Water is fun, but remember it costs, save three buckets by being thoughtful, just five minutes playing with the hose uses 100 litres or more.

Don't be a drip, save three buckets by fixing leaky taps, a tap that drips every day can waste up to 200 litres a day.

Saving water is good for the country and good for our future. Make an extra effort in Water Week and see how easy it is to save bucket loads of water and money.

Source: Northwest News