How To Drought-Proof Your Garden

Will Grass Survive A Hose Pipe Ban?

During a drought, many gardeners are often concerned about their lawn drying up and turning brown. After a few weeks without rain, the grass is likely going to become dormant and can survive on very little water. If your lawn is brown, there is little cause for concern so you don’t need to worry in the short term. As soon as the rain comes back, your lawn should come back alive. If the weather remains hot and dry for a long time, the grass might die if it is not watered. When there are bans on using hose pipes, you can use a watering can to wet the lawn once a month, early in the morning or late in the evening. It will work perfectly if there is no rain coming anytime soon.

Summer Gardening Tips

Rather than using drinking-quality water for your gardens, there is a better alternative. Your roof collects about 450 water butts every year. These water butts harvest rainwater from your roof and the water can be used to wash cars, rattan sofas and furniture or water your garden. The water butts will help you reduce your water consumption and allow your garden to be resilient enough during a rough drought. You need to make sure that your garden blooms during dry weather. Don’t forget to choose the right plants for the dry weather.

Use Drought-Resistant Plants And Shrubs

Watering cans can reduce the wastage of water compared to using sprinklers and hose pipes. By watering plants early in the morning or late in the evening will avoid evaporation. You should also add mulch covering such as bark, wood chip, borders, and beds.

Weeding

You need to keep the weeds at bay to keep your lawn thriving through any doubt. You should adjust the lawnmower blades to let the grass grow longer. If there is any wildlife in your garden, you can leave out a bowl for them to drink water. If you have space, you can also create a pond.

First Droughts, Then Flash Floods

Another thing you need to know is that dry spells also come with heavy downpours. You are likely to notice that when there are thunderstorms often end up in flash floods. If there is a small increase in temperature, the moisture also increases. With the right conditions, there will be intense periods of rain and thunderstorm too. If the weather is too hot, the land will be drier.

Rather than soaking the ground and replenishing the aquifers underground, the water will flow rapidly off the compacted hard soil. In places with too many hard surfaces such as cities and towns, the situation often gets worse because the water can’t go anywhere else besides the drains. As such, there will be an overflow. These situations often cause localized flooding, especially during thunderstorms. If this happens in your home, it will be at risk of flooding. This is where water engineering can help.

Make Every Drop Matter

During the hot weather, you can save money on your water bills by saving water. You should know that these water conservation actions will also protect streams and rivers as well as the animals that rely on them during a drought. With the increase of global warming, there will be more water shortages and droughts will be more frequent. Make sure every drop matters.