Why collect rainwater?
A staggering 100,000 litres of rainwater fall on the roof of each home every year and nearly all of this goes straight down the drain. All you need to do is catch it to help out your garden flora in dry weather - and it's free! Next time there’s a hosepipe ban and not a cloud in the sky, your garden will thank you for a soaking.You can buy a water butt from most garden centres or DIY stores and it’s easy to fit one to the downpipe from your guttering.
Installing and maintaining a water butt
- You can collect rainwater in any watertight receptacle as it falls.
- Fit a lid or fine mesh over the top to prevent small animals from falling in and drowning.
- To make the most of your butt, connect it to the downpipe from your guttering. Many water butts come with a simple connection kits and it’s really easy to do.
- A water butt can be plastic or wooden. Some have a tap at the bottom of the barrel which makes it easy to fill a watering can or fix a hose.
- If your barrel doesn’t have a tap, you’ll have to scoop water out from the top. A 4 pint plastic milk carton with the end cut off can make a fantastic scoop!
- Sometimes algae grows in the water, but avoid using chemicals to get rid of it as they won’t be good for wildlife. You can scoop it out by hand, or even empty the whole lot every now and then and give it a good scrub.
Easy ways to help save water
- Wash your car with a bucket instead of a hose.
- Fix any leaking taps.
- Don’t over-water your garden and use collected rainwater as much as possible (great if you're on a water meter!).
- Second-hand water is a great way to keep your garden green. Once you’ve finished in the bath, scoop out the ‘grey water’ and give your plants a drink. While the garden won’t mind mild soaps, washing machine water or greasy water from the kitchen sink is harder to swallow.
Reduce your need for water
- Stop the sun from baking the soil dry by mulching with bark or gravel.
- Water plants during the evening when it’s cooler. This way, less water will evaporate in the sun and more will soak into the soil and get to the roots that need it.
- Lawn sprinklers and watering sprays are best avoided – the finer the spray, the less water actually reaches your plants. Hosepipes attached to mains water are also a bad idea as you’ll probably end up using much more water than you need. Use a watering can, or attach your hose to a water butt and avoid using a spray nozzle.
- Avoid watering your lawn. If you raise your mower blades a little and leave the grass a little longer, it will retain more moisture. And if it’s looking more like straw during a hot-spell, don’t despair – it will recover once the rains return.
© MMIX