Water Conservation Tips for Our Victoria Gardens

Often you don’t appreciate something until it’s gone! 

That can really be true with water. Taken for granted when it is plentiful, its importance is truly appreciated in the garden once it becomes scarce.

In the Greater Victoria Area, we really enjoy our Gardens and Parks year round and we have become expert stewards of our portion of Paradise.

Off course we are surrounded by water, but none of it is any good in our yards (yet),

If you find yourself in a drought, there are some things you can do to help conserve water and make the best use of what you have available.

Okay I may seem odd  after such a wet spring season, but know we have not had any rain for a fairly long time now in Greater victoria and we all know that have our seasonal water restrictions as proclaimed by the Capital Regional district  still running till September 30 2011, (but this may be extended if there is little rain between now and then.

The Current Watering Schedule is :

Even Addresses                              Odd Addresses

Check the Capital Regional District Website for updates, watering bylaw and tips and suggestions.

But there are many relatively simple and inexpensive things you can do  to Conserve lots of water and use it a lot more effectively ;

If you have not already mulched your plants, do it!
Mulch will help limit the amount of water that evaporates from the soil.
While organic mulches such as grass clippings or wood chips are preferable since they add organic matter to the soil, plastic mulches are useful in limiting evaporation from the soil.
They can be laid between rows in the vegetable garden and will help limit moisture loss; however, they also will limit infiltration.

Place your water where it will do the most good.
Sprinklers are very inefficient for getting water to the roots of your plants.
Much of the water lands on the leaves and evaporates before reaching the ground.
A slow gentle watering at the base of the plants, allowing the water to soak into the soil, will be most efficient.

Water those plants needing it most.
Newly planted trees, shrubs, and flowers with limited roots systems will most likely suffer first from drought conditions.
Give these plants priority if water is scarce.
Well-established plants, especially those native to the area, are likely to withstand drought conditions with limited damage.

Water in the early morning before the heat of the day.
This limits evaporation and supplies plants with needed moisture to make it through the hot, sunny day.

Consider using drip or trickle irrigation systems.
Many inexpensive, easy to install systems are available that provide small amounts of water to the base of individual plants.
These systems place the water where it is needed most, rather than applying it across the whole garden.

Check with your local garden center.
Collect water from downspouts when it rains.
Roofs intercept significant amounts of rain. Collecting this runoff into a barrel can help limit the use of city or well water during dry spells.

If you have any ideas, tips or suggestions for water conservation in Greater Victoria, we would love to hear from you....