Tips for saving water in our garden

While water consumption inside the home can exceed 300 litres per day depending on the size and habits of each family, water consumption outdoors can be up to ten times this figure. Although it will largely depend on the climate and the amount of rainfall accumulated annually in each area of the planet, small everyday actions such as watering the lawn in our garden, growing a small vegetable garden, cleaning and sanitising terraces or washing the car, can consume many litres of water if we do not consider how we can save, drop by drop.

1. Install a rainwater tank. With climate change, rainfall is becoming shorter and more intense. It is therefore very important to be able to collect as much rainwater as possible. One tank or several barrels can collect many litres of rainwater that you can use to water your plants, help your drip irrigation system, water your vegetable garden or wash your car. Give back intelligently to nature what nature gives you.
2. Cover your pool. Natural evaporation caused by ambient heat and the sun's rays can cause up to 0.8 cm of water to disappear from your pool every day. This loss translates into hundreds or even thousands of litres of water wasted per year depending on the size of your pool. Protect your pool with a cover when not in use to drastically reduce evaporation.
3. Check your pool for leaks with the bucket test. It's simple. Fill a bucket with pool water to about 5cm from the edge of the pool and turn off the pool pump. Then place the bucket on a step in the pool, partially submerged in the pool, and mark the water level in and out of the bucket. Turn the pump on for 24 hours and compare the two water levels. If the water level outside the bucket drops lower than the water level inside the bucket, your pool may have a leak.
4. Water the garden and vegetable garden only at times of low wind and moderate temperatures. Any horticulturist knows for a fact that it is best for vegetables and fruit trees to water in the early morning or late afternoon: the sun has not yet warmed the soil or it is cooling down, so the temperature is lower and the water can penetrate the soil better and reach the roots of trees, plants and lawns. Watering on windless or very mild days will also prevent evaporation. In addition, to increase water retention, you can add a protective mulch of straw to the soil surrounding the cut or trunk of plants or shrubs in your garden or orchard.
5. Find different ways of watering. Time is your greatest ally. If you have this precious commodity at your disposal, you can install a drip irrigation system instead of installing sprinklers or using a hosepipe. If you can't, or don't have enough time to install a drip system, you can water your lawn, vegetables or shrubs by hand. With this small, simple but effective gesture, you can cut your water consumption in half.
6. Use a pistol hose. This type of hose stops the flow of water when it is not connected. This invention means you don't have to go to the tap every time you want to turn the water flow on or off, saving you a lot of water.

We hope you find these 6 water saving tips useful and practical to reduce the consumption of this scarce and precious commodity.