Just like humans, overconsumption can be a serious problem for many backyard gardens. Thorough but infrequent watering encourages plants to develop deep root systems, giving them inbuilt drought protection.
The issue
We need more water on hot days, and so do our gardens. But overwatering is common and peak day usage puts a lot of stress on infrastructure.
Did you know?
Over half of the water we use at home is used outdoors, which makes it one of the easiest ways to save water.
The best time to water your garden is early morning or cool evenings in summer.
Avoid over-watering - once a week or even once a fortnight is sufficient (depending on levels of moisture). A good way to test the levels of moisture is to do a "soil probe" by pushing a or other long sharp object into the ground - the soil is wet if it slides in easily but dry soil will make it more difficult or even impossible.
Sprinklers come in all shapes and sizes and with many different names. It can get confusing! All you really need to remember is that it needs to discharge less than 9 litres per minute. Products with the Smart Approved Watermark has been tested to adhere to the irrigation guidelines.