Perth region tips
South of Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie tips
North of Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie tips
Perth region tips
As the weather becomes even cooler and evaporation levels decrease, May is the perfect time to reduce the amount of water that goes onto our gardens.
Reduce or turn off your reticulation system.
Water just one day per week.
Install a rain sensor.
Top up mulch.
Take action to reduce or turn off your reticulation. Watering one day a week, 10 minutes per station is plenty to ensure your garden gets all the moisture it needs.
It's also worthwhile to install a rain sensor. As May rainfall can be unpredictable, a rain sensor will stop your reticulation from watering during or soon after rain.
Did you remember to top up your mulch in March? Even though autumn is nearly over, it's not too late to top up the mulch you applied to the garden in spring. Raw materials like woodchips and tree clippings are best but any organic mulch will do. Without turning or disturbing the existing mulch, spread a 50mm layer of mulch over the whole planting area, leaving a small amount of breathing space at the base of the stem.
South of Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie tips
As the weather becomes even cooler and evaporation levels decrease, May is the perfect time to reduce the amount of water that goes onto our gardens.
Reduce or turn off your reticulation system.
Water just one day per week.
Install a rain sensor.
Top up mulch.
Take action to reduce or turn off your reticulation. Watering one day a week, 10 minutes per station is plenty to ensure your garden gets all the moisture it needs.
It's also worthwhile to install a rain sensor. As May rainfall can be unpredictable, a rain sensor will stop your reticulation from watering during or soon after rain.
Did you remember to top up your mulch in March? Even though autumn is nearly over, it's not too late to top up the mulch you applied to the garden in spring. Raw materials like woodchips and tree clippings are best but any organic mulch will do. Without turning or disturbing the existing mulch, spread a 50mm layer of mulch over the whole planting area, leaving a small amount of breathing space at the base of the stem.
North of Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie tips
As the dry season well and truly takes hold, we all need to start being extra vigilant of our water usage.
Thankfully, it's not too hard! Just follow these simple steps.
Take shorter showers.
Check dishwasher is full.
Install a bore (where applicable).
Shave three minutes off your daily shower and you'll save 13 000 litres of water every year. Plus, why not place a bucket in the shower to catch the ‘warm-up' water (it's the water that runs down the drain when we first turn the tap on). This water can be used for dishes, indoor plants or the garden, saving thousands of litres of water a year.
Another quick tip is waiting until the dishwasher is completely full before turning it on – you'll save buckets of water and electricity as well!
Now for outside the home! During the drier months, 70 per cent of household water usage goes on the garden. Installing a garden bore will dramatically reduce your scheme water use, so if your home is located in an area suitable for a garden bore (check with the Department of Water), and it's away from the ocean, river systems and wetlands, install a garden bore and save money, water and the environment.