Smarter watering

Steve and Val Bradley reveal their tips for effective water use

- Steve and Val Bradley

Advanced gardening - new series on advanced gardening techniques with Steve and Val Bradley

IF our summers are going to get hotter, it follows that water supply and availability are going to become more of a problem for gardeners. Low rainfall and the annual worry of hosepipe restrictions mean we need to use the water we do have more efficiently to keep our plants in peak condition.

More effective delivery

Delivering water close to the plants’ roots in a slow, steady stream is far more efficient in terms of usage than using a sprinkler, where up to one-third of the water applied can be lost due to evaporation on a hot summer day. Watering is best done using a delivery system, but before installing one, you need to consider the needs of the plants, how they are arranged and the best way to apply the water with minimum waste – which is particularly important when you are on a water meter.

Pipe system

Many systems work at quite low pressure, because they only start emitting water once the pipe has filled up. Where your plants are at fixed intervals, a pipe system with sprinkler or dripper nozzles over the roots of the plants is the most efficient means of delivery. There is no point in using a system such as leaky-hose, which emits water along its length, since watering the spaces between plants is just a good way to encourage weeds, especially if the soil is bare and unmulched.

Lay-flat tubing system

Where plants have a spreading habit, a seep hose or lay-flat tubing system works well, laid in rows or in a zigzag pattern through the bed to get a large area watered in one go. A system like this is perfect for raspberry beds, where new shoots can pop up at random.