The drought and Level 6 water restrictions might mean your garden is not looking its best. But don’t despair! There are ways to beat the drought and keep at least your most loved plants alive.
Everyone talks about planting ‘native’ plants to beat the drought. People forget that some native plants require plenty of water. It is the species of plant that is important, whether native or exotic, and many exotic plants are also very drought resistant. The immediate problem is to keep some of your existent plants alive.
It’s impossible to water one’s ENTIRE garden with a watering can or bucket. Remember that some plants will withstand drier conditions better than others. Pick out the plants that require more water, and concentrate your efforts on those. Or you may decide to concentrate on the plants that are most important to you. Just keep in mind that you may have to make some hard choices about which plants you keep alive.
There are several things that can be done to help keep some of your more precious plants alive and well.
Watering
Watering, of course, is the most important factor. There are a couple of tricks to employ.
Make certain the water gets directly into the root zone of the plant.
One way to do this is to use plastic bottles with the tops cut off. Punch small holes into the base of the bottle. This method allows water to seep into a greater area of soil than the alternative of using an inverted plastic bottle with the bottom of the bottle cut off.
Bury the bottle in the soil approximately 20 to 30 cm from the base of your plant (depending on the plant size), AND so that the water from the bottles is released about 100-150mm from the surface of the soil. Pour water directly into the bottle. If you don't want the plastic bottle sticking out of the ground for aesthetic reasons, you may cut it off at mulch level.
If you have tank water, give your garden a drink in the evening rather than in the morning as there is more time for the water to percolate into the soil before the evaporation process begins in the heat of the sun. If you can only water with a bucket from the mains tap, level 6 water restrictions only allow watering between 4pm and 7pm.
Before watering, I strongly recommend you fork the area around your plant. This will permit water to penetrate the soil. In dry conditions the surface of soil is hard and most of the water you pour on and around your plant will flow off, without penetrating the soil. Once you have done your forking … don’t forget to spread mulch around your plant.
You could also create little bunds around the bases of your plants to contain the water in the area it is required.
Mixing compost in with the soil around the bases of the plant will definitely assist in better water retention. Compost helps in absorbing and holding the water for a greater period of time.
Highly recommended also – is mixing hydrocell with the soil around the base of the plant. Yes, it can be mixed in with the compost. Hydrocell absorbs 60% of its own volume in water, and holds this water for a greater period of time than even compost.
Mulch, mulch, mulch
I cannot overstate the importance of using mulch in your garden!
It acts as a barrier between the heat of the sun and your soil … thereby reducing evaporation and loss of soil moisture from the soil. It also keeps the soil, and the root systems of the plant, cooler.
It eventually breaks down into compost, thereby enriching your soil, and assisting in water holding capacity. You need to keep your mulch topped up every 6 to 12 months, depending on the type of mulch you have used.
Mulch reduces weed growth … thereby reducing competition for precious moisture.
Wetting agents
There are several wetting agents available on the market, in liquid, granular or powder form.
Using wetting agents on your soil certainly assists with water penetration. It breaks the water repellent nature of dry soils, and assists with water penetration from six to nine months and more, depending on the product.
Lawns
Time for some strategic decisions...
To look really good, a lawn needs plenty of water … but it will be impossible to keep a lawn well watered using a bucket. Leave the lawn alone – it will spring back with the next rains.
For those of you who are about to lay new lawns, this is a good time to decide on the species of grass to use in the future. Some lawn grasses require less water than others.
For shaded areas I recommend the use of various species of buffalo grass that are now available. Kikuyu is good for areas in full sun. This is a very ‘drought resistant’ grass. Be warned though – once the rains are back with us, kikuyu grows very fast and will require more frequent mowing.
Kikuyu is a very ‘under-rated’ grass in Brisbane (though grown extensively in our southern states), and is considered by some to be a ‘weed’ in Brisbane. Experts who read this column may think my recommendation to be a fallacy. The turf at Ballymore and some other sports grounds, until a few years ago, was 100% kikuyu. Not only is it ‘drought-resistant’, but it is also a very ‘hard-wearing’ grass. I reckon we need to get back to what succeeded in years gone by. There are some new hybrids of couch grass, which are said to be more drought resistant than others.
Potted plants
Potted plants are easy to water with a watering can.
First and foremost … consider the type of pot that you use. Terracotta pots, whilst they look attractive, are made of clay and the sides are porous. They absorb moisture, and this evaporates readily from the outer surface of the pot. They, therefore, dry up the potting mixture very quickly.
The use of plastic pots will overcome this problem. Or you could paint the insides of your terracotta pots with a ‘water proof’ type product.
Use a good quality potting mix that retains water for a greater period of time. I am afraid … the cheaper the potting mix, the less the ‘water holding’ capacity of that mix. You ‘get what you pay for’!
Highly recommended now, is to mix 30% of your potting mix with hydrocell*.
Read about what’s allowed and what’s not under current Level 6 water restrictions.
*Please note that previously a transcription error appeared on this page where "water crystals" had been referenced instead of "hydrocell". Bob Dobbs advised us of this error which we have now corrected and stresses that these products should never be confused as they act in totally different ways.
