With the water sprinkler restrictions ending at the end of this month, here are some product recommendations you can purchase to consciously make small changes in your garden that will make your home more waterwise and have a great impact on the environment.
1. Aquamor Mulch
Aquamor™ Mulch is a composted, recycled plant material, which when placed as a finishing layer over landscaped areas, reduces water lost through evaporation. Tests with Aquamor Mulch have demonstrated a 46.5% reduction in water loss from evaporation. This is an unbagged, wholesale product.
Benefits:
- A heavy, chunky fully composted and pasteurised screened mulch.
- Produced exclusively from composted greenwaste.
- Low fines content, provides stability and longevity and is highly effective at suppressing weed growth.
- Visually attractive and designed to retain its structure in harsh conditions.
- Ideal for windy coastal locations.
2. Baileys Lawn Reviver
After a long period of winter dormancy, use Baileys Lawn Reviver to improve your lawns visual appearance within days. The organic structure works through the lawn's profile to activate microbial action and stimulate earthworm activity, promoting healthy growth. Water retention is increased, water run-off and evaporation are reduced and disease resistance increased. The products saves water by improving the ability of the lawn to retain water.
Benefits:
- Contains Grosorb wetting agent to maximise water use and fertiliser delivery.
- Organic structure improves soil structure, fertility and stimulated microbial activity.
- Increases resistance to disease.
- Western Australian designed and manufactured product.
3. Waterups from Down Under
This unique product, based on the age-old concept of the wicking process, is extremely efficient. Using the principals of 'water wicking', the recycled plastic WaterUps cells can be fitted together to form a false base under your veggie beds, planter tubs, raised garden beds. Roots are encouraged to grow vertically through the units so they can take best advantage of the water reservoir that is created, allowing for more efficient and effective watering than traditional above ground methods.
Benefits:
- Australian designed and manufactured.
- Can be used in a variety of landscape and garden environments.
- Effective, practical and sustainable plant watering system.
- Recycled materials.
- Easy to install and maintain.
- Significantly reduce water waste from wind or evaporation and as the plants or crops only take the water they need.
- During the driest periods some beds only need to be watered once a month which reduces the time need to maintain your plants but also means never having to worry if you forget to water after a long day or if you're heading away from home for a few days or even longer.
4. Vegepod
Vegepod, an Australian owned and operated business provides an easily accessible, low-maintenance, almost fail-proof raised garden bed for all. Vegepod winning both SharkTank and the Royal Chelsea Flower and Garden show recently, the Vegepod Raised Garden Bed is a specific solution to solving gardening pain points such as pests, maintenance, and watering.
Benefits:
- The Vegepod is unique due to its self-watering wicking bases that ensure your plants always have access to water from below, with overflow holes that avoid drowning your plants. You can go two to three weeks away in the summer and know your garden will thrive. The contained Vegepod saves up to 80% of water compared to your average garden.
- The Vegepod has a permeable mesh protective canopy that allows the good necessities through such as sun, air and rain, whilst protecting against pests, harsh elements and weeds. The commercial grade fine mesh creates a micro-climate ideal for optimum growth.
- The one-foot growing depth means you are not limited to just herbs and leafy greens, but can expand your edible gardening to root vegetables and larger plants.
- The Vegepod, unlike other raised garden beds is certifiably food-safe, non-leaching and BPA free through its industry quality polypropylene plastic and is also recyclable. The stands are galvanised steel, powder coated with stainless steel bolts to successfully support the raised garden bed.
- The Vegepod can come with a raised and portable stand, meaning the garden is accessible for anyone of all abilities and location.
- The set-up is easy, coming in a flat pack box, with no tools required.
5. Baileys Premium Potting Mix
Baileys Premium Potting Mix provides full plant nutrient requirements and Grosorb to prevent the product from becoming water repellent. When using this mix you need only pot and water as complete nutrition is supplied.
Benefits:
- Suitable for use in hanging baskets, patio tubs, indoor and outdoor pots, planters and for re-poting.
- Applications range from vegetables, herbs, potted colour, shrubs, trees, citrus and fruit trees, cactus and most natives.
6. Switch to Native, waterwise plants
Native Plants are those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. They are the ecological basis upon which life depends, including birds and people. Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive.
Unfortunately, most of the landscaping plants available in nurseries are alien species from other countries. These exotic plants not only sever the food web, but many have become invasive pests, outcompeting native species and degrading habitat in remaining natural areas.
Native plants are adapted to the local environmental conditions, which means they require far less water than exotic plants.
Some Native plants to WA include, but are not limited to:
- Esperance Wax
- Ashby's Banksia
- Cockies Tongue
- Kings Park Special
- Illyarrie (commonly referred to as Red Capped Gum)
- Wolly Bush
- Zig Zag Wattle
For further infomation or for more waterwise products or to view your allocated watering days please visit watercorporation.com.au.