How to save water and limit watering?

Water is becoming scarce and consequently more expensive, so let's save it. Here are some tips to preserve it.

Limit water loss through evapotranspiration by mulching or sowing green manure (you also encourage the phenomenon of dew), these practices increase the absorption capacity of the soil during heavy rains and prevent the growth of "weeds" that compete for water with your cultivated plants.

Make sure that your soil has a good clay and humus content by making regular compost contributions, you will thus optimize its water and nutrient storage capacity. The use of a root stimulator expands the root exploration zone in the soil and allows plants to better resist periods of water stress.

Prefer underground watering, drip systems localized at the foot of the plants or microporous hoses to avoid wetting the foliage and risking cryptogamic diseases.

Choose plants adapted to the climatic conditions and in particular to the periods of drought if they are common in your region, always keep in mind not to go against nature.

Some examples of plants according to their water needs

Vegetables requiring almost no watering: garlic, onion, shallot, potato, asparagus, artichoke.

Vegetables requiring a lot of water: cucurbits, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage.

Trees that require a lot of water: willows, alders, poplars, ash trees (they are a real pump to drain your soil; in summer, one of these trees can take several hundred liras per day).

Plants that require relatively little water: gorse, lavender, rosemary, fescue, arbutus, broom, tamarisk, boxwood, houseleek, euphorbia, sedums and, as a general rule, rockery plants, aromatic plants, ornamental grasses, conifers.

Which water to choose?

As far as possible, do not use tap water: it is cold, chlorinated and increasingly expensive!

Prefer rainwater: many models of rainwater harvesters and cisterns are available in stores. Do not hesitate to choose a large storage capacity: the investment will quickly pay for itself.

Did you know that?

1 m2 of roof space can recover about 600 liters of water in one year (depending on the region).

Tips for efficient watering

Watering is necessary during the summer period. But water is an expensive and scarce resource, so it should be economical and efficient.

Here are some tips to save water

Prefer watering in the evening, as late as possible, so that the soil is cooled to avoid immediate evaporation on contact.

For young plants, it is advisable to be more vigilant and to water more regularly than well established plants.

In pots and tubs, your plants require almost daily watering during hot periods. Water gently, so that the substrate soaks up the water.

When your soil is heavy, it is better to water heavily and less often because it retains moisture longer. In a light soil, you will have to water more often, because the water does not stay.

Let your plants suffer a little between two waterings so that the root system develops in depth. A superficial watering favors a surface development of the roots and thus makes them more sensitive to drought.

Do not wet the foliage of plants sensitive to fungal diseases such as roses, tomatoes or curcubitaceae in the vegetable garden.

Water your heather plants with recuperated rainwater. To do this, install a tank under a gutter outlet. Or simply leave a trash can open in a corner of the garden.

Hoe at the foot of the plants when the soil is compact. The water will penetrate deeper into the soil. "One hoeing is worth two waterings". This advice also applies to planters.

Remove weeds that compete with your plants.

To prevent water evaporation, mulch your soil with pine bark, grass clippings, cardboard or newspapers for example. The mulch will form a protection against the rays of the ground that heat the soil and will allow to keep a certain humidity underneath. Mulch will also prevent weeds from growing.

Mulch is also very effective for pots and planters in full sun.

Did you know?

• Approximately half of all water treated during the summer is used to water lawns, gardens and vegetable gardens.
• A lawn sprinkler that sprays 19 liters of water per minute uses half as much water in one hour as it takes to flush 10 toilets, take two five-minute showers, run two dishwasher cycles and do a full load of laundry.
• The human body loses 2.4 liters of water per day. We replace some of it by drinking and the rest by eating.

Source: Environment Canada

Watering outdoor plants in winter

In winter, the first reflex of the gardener would be not to intervene in the watering of plants installed in the ground or in pots in the garden. Of course, rainfall is sometimes sufficient, but this parameter must be modulated according to the regions, the nature and the positioning of the plants.

Which outdoor plants should be watered in winter?

When the plant is flowering (hellebore, camellia, winter jasmine, cyclamen...) or bearing fruit (citrus, pomegranate, apple tree...) watering will be necessary, especially if it does not rain. The same goes for recently planted plants which will need very regular watering so that their root system forms properly before the summer heat.

Beware of some southern regions where it may not rain for several weeks. Winter drought, although less destructive than summer drought, can destroy many plants if you are not careful enough.

Be particularly wary of potted plants whose mixture dries very quickly, especially if the weather is windy. Pay special attention to them and water them as soon as the mixture starts to dry. To avoid asphyxiation of the roots, remove all the cups in autumn.

Which outdoor plants should not be watered in winter?

Generally speaking, it is not necessary to water plants that are at rest, as rain is more than enough for them. Recognizing a plant in rest is quite simple:

• its foliage is faded, and only the underground part remains;
• the tree or the shrub has lost its foliage ;
• the plant is no longer growing and does not produce flowers or fruits.

Never water succulents and cacti in winter. These very particular plants should be installed in very well drained soil and in a very warm exposure. Succulents grown in pots should be placed in a cool and bright room without watering from October to April.

How to water outdoor plants in winter?

• Always water with water at room temperature to avoid thermal shock.
• It is best to water in the late morning so that the water can be absorbed before the cold falls in the late evening.
• Water only if you feel it has not rained enough. A rain gauge can help you measure the amount of rain that has fallen, but you must remember to empty it often to avoid distorting the data.
• Beware of frost. The main concern with winter watering is frost. Indeed, if the soil is waterlogged, the roots are less resistant to cold. For this reason, beware of mulches in regions where it rains very often, because once soaked, their protective effect is reversed. A good solution is to stop all watering operations in case of an expected heavy frost.

Ollas, an ancestral watering technique

An ancestral and very efficient watering technique, the olla allows to supply the plants with water directly at the roots level. Ecological, economical, it has only advantages. Discover it...

Ollas, a proven irrigation system

Proud of its 4000 years of existence, this watering technique still works wonders especially in Southern Europe where it is still widely used.

The term "olla" comes from the Spanish word for "pot". The olla is a microporous clay container, usually in the shape of a jar. It has an opening in the upper part and a lid on top.

The olla is buried at the foot of a plant, then filled with water and closed. Only the neck of the jar protrudes slightly from the ground in order to replenish the water.

Its porous constitution allows the water to escape slowly and directly to the roots of the plants thus ensuring a targeted and very effective watering. The plant only gets what it really needs and no longer suffers from water stress.

Savings in perspective

Since the planet's water resources are limited, this watering system offers a solution to preserve the resource. It is a water saving of 50 to 70% that is achieved by using this system. Not to mention the energy you usually spend watering, since the olla is only filled once a week on average!

The different types of ollas

The system can provide water to all kinds of plants, from a geranium in a window box to an olive tree in the ground.

For planters and pots, we use 'planting' ollas. Shaped like a spinning top, they have a pointed lower part that is planted in the substrate. The water is placed in the reservoir of the upper part, which remains on the surface of the mixture. These small volume ollas (0.25 l) are available in natural, enamelled or even patterned versions. They are very practical when you go on vacation to ensure watering for a week to 10 days.

In the open ground, ollas 'to be buried' are preferred. They are available in all volumes:

• 0,30 liter for small plants or pots;
• 1,5 liters for isolated plants;
• 5 liters or 10 liters for shrubs or trees, or even for the vegetable garden.

Advantages of the technique

This watering technique has many advantages:

• It allows for significant water savings and reduces watering work to a strict minimum.
• It ensures a deep water diffusion; the soil is not wet on the surface, the 'weeds' do not germinate, which reduces the weeding work.
• The roots draw the quantity of water necessary to their needs. Their growth is harmonious since they are no longer subjected to water shock.
• The plants are less exposed to the diseases propagated by the water drops on the foliage (oomycetes).

Water retainers, gel against drought

A recent invention, water retention systems or hydroretention systems open new horizons for farmers and plant professionals. This technique allows significant water savings but also a better productivity. Let's see how this miracle product works.

A recent invention

Sergio Jesùs Rico, a Mexican scientist, nominated for the 'World Water Prize' of the Stockholm Water Institute in 2012, has succeeded in creating a revolutionary product for modern agriculture by solidifying water. How did he make this possible? Simply by gelling it with a biodegradable and non-toxic substance, potassium polyacrylate. This powder is able to store up to 500 times its weight in water and release it progressively according to the plants' needs.

To use it, simply mix the powder into the soil during planting. If it rains or after watering, the water solidifies into granules that vary in size from 3 mm to 1 cm in diameter. The permeable wall of each of these granules allows it to absorb the water but also to release it in very small quantities directly in contact with the roots of the plants.

This technique is already used by farmers who develop crops requiring a large amount of water or in areas where water resources are irregular. This product can also be used in the fields of horticulture, reforestation, arboriculture in the sports sector (golf, soccer fields...), in green spaces, and even in nurseries where 2g per liter of substrate are enough to grow plants in pots.

How is the product packaged?

The water retainers are packaged in pots or bags of varying sizes. Their cost is about 40 € per kilo, which is very profitable when you calculate the savings in water and fertilizers. The average life span of the product is 5 years.

Advantages of water retainers

The advantages of this revolutionary product are numerous among them:

• To make consequent water savings at the planetary level. When we know that 70% of the world's water resources are used by irrigated agriculture and that losses through evaporation and leakage are enormous before they even reach the plants, water retainers are a solution of choice. Irrigation costs with this method are reduced by 50-75%.
• Restructure dry, compact, poor or eroded soils. Indeed, the product allows a better circulation of air and releases oxygen, limits the leaching of fertilizers, reduces the impact of salinity or pollution of the water table and counteracts the irregularity of natural rainfall.
• Produce better and more with less natural resources and energy spent.

Plants cultivated with water retainers extract liquid gradually and according to their needs. Less subject to water stress and nutrient deficiencies, they grow faster, their root and leaf mass is multiplied by 3 or 5 with this method. They are more vigorous, absorb fertilizers better (30% savings) and are much more resistant to diseases.

Bleed your outdoor faucets before freezing

In some regions, freezing temperatures are severe during the winter, so there is a risk of serious damage to outdoor faucets and pipes without a proper procedure before the cold weather arrives. Let's take a look at how to do it easily.

Why bleed your outdoor pipes?

During the dreary season, temperatures can very easily drop below zero and even reach extremes depending on the region (down to -20 or 30°C). The water in the pipes or faucets freezes and takes up more volume, sometimes causing them to burst. The equipment is therefore put to a severe test and, if it is already fragile, it can be damaged very quickly.

When should I bleed my outdoor pipes?

It is important to purge outdoor pipes as a preventive measure in the following cases

Regions with very harsh winters;

Prolonged absence that does not allow for quick intervention in case of a cold snap;

Pipes or ducts that are not or only slightly buried (a minimum depth of 70 cm ensures frost protection).

Please note: in regions where winters are mild and frost is rare, the procedure is not necessary, but it will be necessary to act in case of an exceptional climatic event, which implies to be present.

How do I purge the outside pipes?

Start by locating the water inlet valve, which is usually located upstream of the pipe. Turn the valve to shut off the water;

Open the taps to drain the remaining water from the pipes;

Turn on the small tap near the water valve to drain the pipes;

Once all the liquid has drained, close the drain valve and the valve again.

Remember to store the hoses in a dry, frost-free place to keep them in good condition during the winter.

If you live in an area where temperatures remain within a reasonable range, simple protection of the pipes and valves may be sufficient. Polyethylene foam insulation tubes are available to protect pipes. Bubble wrap in several layers may be sufficient for fittings.

Avoid newspaper or rockwool which tend to retain water and thus amplify the phenomenon.