Sunscreen Your Garden

Here’s a great sun-screen for your garden that fights summer dryness by locking in moisture, suppressing weeds and improving soil structure.

By applying mulch, gardeners can get these benefits, conserve water and keep their gardens healthy.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) says mulch is a sun-screen for gardens that cuts evaporation by up to 70% so gardeners don’t need to water as often — and any watering which is done will be more effective.

Water use on the Kapiti Coast rises every year during summer and daily use can be 50% higher than an average day in winter.

Much of the increased demand comes from garden watering. A hose or sprinkler can spray 1000 litres of water in just one hour — that’s as much as a family of four use on a winter’s day.

Gardeners should follow these four simple steps to keep a healthy garden and conserve water:

• Use mulch
• Check to see if your soil really needs watering
• Water only around plant roots
• Time sprinkler sessions to 30 minutes — once a week should be enough

The GWRC says garden centres and hardware stores are offering special deals throughout November to encourage mulching.