How to reduce water use and keep your plants alive during a heatwave
Top tips on how look after your garden and plants during extreme heat and drought
As high temperatures continue, rather than reaching for the hose pipe or watering can, consider how you can adapt your garden for the future. To find out if you need to water, and how to do it most efficiently, follow the tips below.
1. Right plant right place – choose plants that naturally cope with hot, dry conditions without watering and are suitable for your garden long-term in a changing climate. Plants like hydrangeas, camellias and rhododendrons are particularly vulnerable to suffering in drought, so think twice about planting these unless you live in one of the cooler, wetter parts of the UK.2. Plant in autumn – this gives plants time to put down roots during autumn and winter rains, meaning they are better established by the time summer drought comes round.
3. Let lawns go brown – they will recover when rain returns. Hold off on regular mowing, as this will prevent it drying out so quickly and keep it greener for longer.
4. Consider if you actually need to water. Only water a plant if it visibly needs it, for example is wilting. Most established trees and shrubs won’t need any water unless showing leaf loss and heavy wilting.
5. For plants in the ground showing signs of stress, water thoroughly and deeply to encourage deep roots, directed at the base of the plant, rather than frequent light watering.
6. Water in the early morning, or else in the evening.
7. To ensure water penetrates the surface and doesn’t run off, create a soil ‘doughnut’ around any particularly vulnerable or newly planted plants, or thirsty crops such as courgettes. Fill this with water, which will then soak in around the roots. Alternatively, use a rose to give the water more time to sink in rather than running off, but it will take longer to apply enough to water deeply.
8. Put saucers under pots, and water baskets over a drip tray to collect run-off that can be used again.
9. Use rainwater stored in water butts rather than mains water. This also frees up space to collect more rainwater in the event of any summer downpours. It’s never a bad time to install a water butt, or a larger water butt.
10. Grey water – water that has been lightly used for washing, washing up or bathing – can be collected and used when rainwater stores are exhausted. Make it easy by keeping a watering can in the bathroom to collect, for example, any water running through before the shower warms up.
12. Mulch plants with organic matter to help retain moisture, reduce competition from weeds, and protect roots. Water well before applying any
13. Shade pots and baskets exposed to direct sun, or move them to a shadier position.
