Keep your garden looking good in the dry season

Australia has just endured one of its driest winters, and little relief is on the horizon with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting an even dryer and warmer summer in 2018/2019. Being mindful of water use is now top of mind for many households as these severe conditions continue to affect communities around Australia. This is particularly important in the garden where there is huge temptation to drench withering plants struggling with the heat.

“Rather than a light sprinkle daily, it’s much better to give plants a thorough, deep watering less often. It encourages plant roots to grow down into the soil where it’s cooler, and promotes a firm, more dry-tolerant root system,” says Alyce Rigby, Product Manager at Nylex.

“Nylex have specialist water saving products available that make it easy for you to keep your plants in good condition and help you control water usage.”

Here are her top four tips for saving water in your garden:

1. Beat the heat

Plants absorb water through their roots, so it makes sense to deliver the water as close to the root zone as possible. Watering wands with a long handle allow you to easily hold the spray down low, to deliver water efficiently to where it’s need most. And be sure to water early in the morning before the sun heats up to reduce water loss to evaporation.

An easy way to efficiently deliver water to garden beds, borders and veggie patches is with a water weeper hose. Unlike others on the market, Nylex uses a unique flat design, allowing it to be buried under mulch to reduce evaporation while keeping it out of sight. The slow drip feature allows for maximum absorption close to the roots. Water weeper hoses are the perfect option for reducing water waste as they have no overspray, also making them great around pools or near tiles where the surface can be slippery.

2. Making the most of valuable rain water

To help prevent unnecessary extra watering, use a rain gauge to keep track of how much water your garden has already received on those precious rainy days. The Nylex Digital rain gauge has a wireless self-emptying rain collector for measuring rainfall and advanced features such as the specialised alarm to alert you when the set high or low weather criteria are met.

3. Checking hose fittings

Hose fittings are often prone to breaking or leakage, leading to unnecessary water waste. Nylex has anti-leak hose connectors and tap adapters that connect to any standard garden hose. Other hose accessories like the spray-gun also prevent water leakage or excess run-off with an easy on/off control at the gun, so you don’t have to go back to the tap to stop the water flow. The spray-guns also give you the option of different watering patterns and flow strengths depending on the type of plants you have.

4. Reuse/reduce waste

Finally, grey water hoses allow efficient watering by reusing the wastewater from showers or washing machines on your garden. The hoses are easily connected to household appliances to drain grey water from the machine to buckets or directly into your garden. Just be sure to use plant-friendly detergents and powders.

Nylex water savings products are available exclusively at Bunnings Warehouse Stores nationwide.

For more information, visit www.nylex.com.au