Water Conservation For Your (compost tumbler) Lawn And Garden
No commentsBy Rachel Yoshida
It is possible to have a luscious, healthy, green garden while doing your part to conserve water. Water is a precious resource, and we are finding out that we are often in short supply of it, especially during the hot summer months. Plants and grass naturally need water to survive, but it does not mean they need to be drowned in it for optimum growth. Here are some tips you can start utilizing in your yard maintenance.
Watering the lawn can be one of the biggest ways you can waste water if you don’t do it properly. Some homeowners tend to over water their lawn by watering everyday, which can lead to poor root growth in the long run. Depending on the area you live in and how hot and dry it gets, you should not have to water your lawn no more than twice per week, as long as you are watering enough. Usually, 1-2″ of water should be sufficient. If you are wondering how you would go about measuring how much water your lawn is receiving, leave out a can or other container that can capture the water and measure that with a ruler. Most home improvement stores also carry water gauges of some sort to help you measure.
Watering the lawn should be done during the early morning hours, typically between 4 and 8 a.m. This period of time is optimal because there is less wind and heat from the sun that will cause rapid evaporation. Watering at night is also not a good idea because it can actually cause fungus and promote insect activity.
Use fertilizer in your garden only as directed. Using too much fertilizer will cause your plants to demand for more water.
Similarly, adding mulch to your garden helps with moisture, meaning less watering. It also prevents erosion and prevents weeds from growing because the mulch is blocking the sun from reaching the weed.
Keep similar plants together in the same section. Drought-tolerant plants should be put in a different section from plants that need constant watering to survive. Water the plants in your garden according to their type so that just the right amount of water is used.
Consider installing a timing device on your sprinkler system if you have not already done so. Schedule and maintain a regular watering cycle for your plants. Installing a rain sensor will stop the sprinklers from turning on when it starts to rain. That device will come in handy when you are not home to turn off your sprinkler system.
Use paving materials, such as brick, gravel, or granite around your garden areas to keep water in the garden and prevent them from traveling elsewhere.
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What The Experts Recommend For Planting Zone Map
By Izrul Fizal
A planting zone map is something that is very important to have as you embark on the wonderful world of garden planting. Remember that although you are planting many different things separately, your garden should be something that functions well together and helps every type of fruit and vegetable that you have survive. Therefore, you want to have a planting zone map that will help you make sure all of your plants are in the right place, and your garden is spectacular.
Sun/Shade
The first thing to consider when you are looking at a planting zone map is the way that the sun and shade works with your garden. Remember that some plants need sun and some plants need shade, and therefore you must be certain to provide your fruits and vegetables with the right amounts of both. Take into consideration the place where you will be having your garden, and design your planting zone map to ensure that there are shady areas as well as areas that get sun all day long.
Then, after you have your seeds, take a look at what requires sun and what requires shade, and plan to plant them in the right areas. Remember that having a garden near a tree or fence can allow for some of it to be shady during the day. If you don’t have a garden that has shade, you might need to make some artificial shade so that the plants that need it can have it.
Watering
Your planting zone map should also take into account the parts of the garden that are dryer and wetter. Some vegetables and fruits as well as flowers need to have wetter areas and some need areas that will dry out sooner. Take into consideration your water source, and whether the grown is flat or not.
If the ground is not flat, plan to have plants in the lower sections that need more water, and those in the upper sections that do not. This will help you get the right type of planting zone map for your garden.
Lastly, be sure that your planting zone map takes into consideration plants that will take over areas. Some types of flowers and vegetables will take over areas where they are not planted. Be sure that you know this before you plant them, and that you provide for this. You do not want nay of your hard work to go to waste because your planting zone map did not include these areas.
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Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 2:25 pm and is filed under gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
