Water Smart Gardening - Fresh Food People, Australia

1. Water
Smart
Gardening
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2. Every state and council may have different levels
and guidelines of water restrictions in place.
For further information in your state please go to:
QLD www.qwc.qld.gov.au & search water restrictions
NSW www.nsw.gov.au/water.asp
ACT www.thinkwater.act.gov.au
VIC www.ourwater.vic.gov.au
TAS www.tas.gov.au & search water restrictions
SA www.sacentral.sa.gov.au & search water restrictions
WA www.water.wa.gov.au
NT www.nt.gov.au/nreta/naturalresources/water

3. Contents
part one
Choosing your plants
part two
Gardening in containers and pots
part three
Sensible watering tips
part four
How to use grey water successfully
in your garden
part five
Water Smart your garden
a) Healthy soil
b) Mulch your way to a water
friendly garden
c) Maximise plant health,
minimise water use
part six
Garden design tips to minimise water use

4. Part 1
Choosing
your plants
Some key points to keep
in mind when choosing
which plants for your
garden will assist in
lowering your water use:
• Australian Natives and
succulents are great
water wise plants.
• Choose plants that
originated from South
Africa, California, parts
of Asia and India and
the Mediterranean.
Container
gardens are
very water
efficient.

5. Part 2
Gardening in
containers
& pots
Container gardens are very water efficient:
• Potting media holds lots of water and nutrients for
your plants.
• Choose a quality potting mix with added soil wetter.
• Reapply soil wetter every six months to ensure
uniform watering.
• Use drippers on pots if allowed by your local
water authority.
• Use your finger to check the potting medium
for moisture.
• Water thoroughly rather than just sprinkling water
on the surface and allow potting mix to dry out a little
between waterings.
• Reduce evaporation from the surface with a mulch
– refer to section on Mulching.
• Choose glazed pots or apply a silicon sealer to
terracotta pots to minimise water loss.
Gardening in containers can be rewarding and is great:
• Around the pool
• On the patio
• Decorating a balcony
• Inside your home
You can change pots or move them around to:
• Keep them in sheltered parts of the garden to
minimise watering.
• Change the colour of the pots to upgrade your
colour design.
• Update your look on a seasonal basis.

6. Part 3
Sensible
Watering Tips
It makes sense to use
water wisely:
• Water when it is cool.
• Avoid watering during
windy weather.
• A thorough soaking
once a week is
better than several light
sprinklings.
• Always consider any
recent or forecast rain
before deciding whether
to water.
• Water slowly to ensure
good penetration and
use a soil wetter.
• Pots need watering
regularly.
It makes
sense to use
water wisely.

7. Part 4
How to use
grey water
successfully
in your garden:
You can safely recycle household grey water for
watering plants in pots and in the garden.
Grey water is water from:
• The shower
• Bath
• Hand basin
• Washing machine rinse water
Always check with your local plumbing regulations and
restrictions prior to implementing home systems for
grey water.
Note:
To minimise any ill effects on your soil or potting mix
choose a laundry detergent that is low in phosphorus
and sodium.
For a full report on laundry detergents visit the
following website:
www.lanfaxlabs.com.au/laundry.htm

8. Part 5
Water Smart
your garden
A healthy soil rich in organic
matter will hold lots of moisture
for your plants:
• Organic matter includes
composted fruit, vegetables,
leaves & grasses.
• All soil types from heavy clay
to light sands benefit from
incorporating organic matter.
• Clay soils might need
gypsum (calcium sulphate)
to improve structure,
aeration and drainage (Dig
in about 1kg/m2)
• Many commercial composts
from your nursery are
excellent for conditioning
your soil and is making great
use of a recycled product.
For helpful hints on how to make your own compost visit the
following website:
www.sydneywater.com.au/SavingWater/InYourGarden/
MulchAndCompost/Compost.cfm
Mulch your way to a water friendly garden:
Much of the water used in the garden is simply lost from the
soil surface through evaporation. Placing a layer of mulch
around your plants provides the following benefits:
• Keeps soil temperature even and thus your plants happier.
• If the mulch is derived from plant material it will also feed
your soil.
• Prevents weeds from growing and competing with your
plants for water.
• Mulching can look very decorative, visually tying your
garden beds together.

9. Easy to follow mulching tips:
• Apply a layer of 7-10 centimetres.
• Decorative stones and pebbles look terrific, allow water
to penetrate easily and last indefinitely.
• Old newspaper can be placed on the soil and then
covered with a decorative mulch.
• Organic mulches such as pea straw, pine bark, lucerne
hay, sugar cane waste or home-made compost feed the
soil microbes and roots as well.
• These mulches will need topping up regularly as they
break down.
• For a long-lasting mulch choose wood chip, pine bark
or pebbles.
• Avoid placing mulch directly against the stems of plants.
Maximise plant health, minimise water use by using a
soil wetter:
• Assist by enhancing the soil’s ability to accept water
and have been developed specifically for soils and
potting media.
• Can be purchased in granular or liquid forms, the
granular being easier to apply.
Why we need soil wetters:
• Many Australian soils are naturally water repelling,
particularly sandy soils that are allowed to dry out.
• A build up of waxy deposits from partly composted
leaves and mulches coats soil particles and prevents
water from penetrating.
• The same applies to potting mixes over time.
• This can be a trap for gardeners who think they have
watered their soil or pot well but the has actually run
away or down the sides of the pot.

11. Part 6
Garden design
tips to minimise
water use
Lawn:
• Choose a grass that is drought tolerant.
• Warm-season grasses (e.g. buffalo, couch, kikuyu)
use much less water and are more drought resistant
than cool season grasses (e.g. ryegrass, fescue).
Protection:
• Protecting your plants from drying winds and the hot
baking afternoon sun will go a long way in conserving
water in the garden.
• Fences, covered pergolas and the shade from trees
will provide such protection.
Planting:
• Always group plants that have similar water needs.
• If your favourite plant needs a lot of water try to grow
it in a sheltered part of the garden where it will be less
prone to drying out.
Protecting your plants from
drying winds and the hot
baking afternoon sun.