Coping with a hosepipe ban

Here are 7 top tips to help get you through the current drought especially in those areas where you can’t use your hose pipe

1. Prioritise the areas of the garden that need water – pots, newly planted trees, shrubs and other plants, the veg plot etc. The lawn is definitely at the bottom of the list as it is resilient and will recover.

2. Don’t disturb the soil by weeding etc as this will cause more water to be lost. If you need to remove any weeds, cut them off at ground level and leave the roots in the ground and the soil undisturbed.

3. Water in the morning or evening when its cooler so less water evaporates

4. Give the plants a good drink around their roots rather than a light sprinkle of water so that the water reaches the roots. This way you only have to water once or twice a week.

5. Mulch, mulch mulch. Mulching is the addition of a layer of material over the surface of the soil which will help to trap moisture and reduce evaporation.  A mulch could be a layer of compost, grass clippings, bark, wood chip, straw, wool or even gravel.