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• Watering Zones and the Standard Drink
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Using water saving devices and the way you design and water your garden can make a big difference to your water use. Rainwater tanks can be plumbed straight into the home to supply water for use in the laundry or toilet. If you are careful with your choice of washing detergent, greywater systems can be used for watering your garden.

Watering Zones

Introduction

The Watering Zones concept recognises that different plants have different needs - their habits and water requirements vary enormously.

For instance, a Western Australian plant which has evolved in our climate over thousands of years, will need little, if any, water to survive our hot dry summers. On the other hand, a rose will need to be watered more frequently over summer and some bedding plants and most vegetables still more often.

By grouping plants together on the basis on their water needs, making Watering Zones, you can make sure that each plant in the zone is getting as much water as it needs and that no plant is being overwatered.

The result is good healthy growth and a reduced water bill!

Please Note: There are water efficiency measures in place for Western Australia. If your plants need to be watered more frequently than is allowed in your area, additional watering will need to be done with a hand held hose.

All Plants are Not Equal

Garden plants are divided into three groups according to their need for water.

• Watering Zone 1 - plants with a low water requirement. They will only need occasional watering over summer. Perhaps once every two weeks or longer.
• Watering Zone 2 - plants with a moderate water requirement. These plants will need to be watered every 3 to 7 days.
• Watering Zone 3 - plants with a high water requirement. These plants will need to be watered every 1 to 2 days.

Selecting the Right Equipment

In general, an automatic or semi-automatic watering system is easiest to use and most efficient.

Lawns (Zone 2) are best watered using sprinklers - preferably a type producing course drops, to reduce evaporation. Don't mix sprinkler types, or brands, on the one watering line.

Gardens use the least water when serviced by drippers and tricklers which irrigate individual plants.

• Densely planted flower beds may be watered by microsprays.
• Don't mix drippers/tricklers with sprays/sprinklers on the same line.
• All garden beds should be heavily mulched to minimise evaporation.

How to Water the Different Watering Zones

Once your garden is designed and planted into three Watering Zones, it is important to apply water correctly in order to gain the greatest savings.

• Each zone must be capable of being watered independently from the other zones. For installed systems, this means separate lines controlled either manually or automatically.
• Each plant whether in Zone 1, 2 or 3 gets the same amount of water each time the system is turned on a Standard Drink. What varies is how often each zone is watered.
• Your watering schedule should vary with the seasons. The Guidelines for Watering Zones table is a good indication of watering frequency at different times of the year.

Guidelines for Watering Zones

Based upon a standard drink of 10 litres/M² for established plants in improved sandy soils in Perth. Remember that sprinkler bans or water efficiency measures may be in place in your area. Additional watering will need to be done with a hand held hose.

 

Watering Zone 1 Watering Zone 2 Watering Zone 3 Month Frequency Frequency Frequency Jan Once a week * Every second day Every one or two days Feb Once a week * Every second day Every one or two days Mar Once a week * Every third day Every second day April Once a fortnight * Every fifth day Every third day May No watering No watering No watering June No watering No watering No watering July No watering No watering No watering Aug No watering Once a fortnight * Once a week * Sept Once a fortnight * Once a week * Every third day * Oct Once a fortnight * Every fourth day Every second or third day Nov Once a week * Every third day Every second day Dec Once a week * Every second day Every one or two days * only if needed

The Standard Drink

Generally speaking, all plants feed from the top 15 to 20 cm of soil. The roots concentrate in this zone and watering should aim to replenish the volume of water removed by the plant. Surplus water will only drain away beyond reach of the roots.

So irrespective of size or type, all plants need the same amount of water each watering. On the Perth sand plain, this Standard Drink is 10 mm of rainfall, or 10 litres of water/M² of watered soil.

Working out how long to run your irrigation to provide a Standard Drink is a simple exercise.

For lawn areas, obtain a set of catch cups to measure the performance of your sprinklers. To find out where to purchase catch cups please call our helpline on 13 10 39. For garden areas serviced by trickle systems, the flow rate of the dripper and the area of soil it wets, will determine how long the system must run. Aim for 10 litres of water/M² of watered soil.

Important - Please Note

The Standard Drink for Perth is 10 mm. Regional offices of the Water Corporation can advise the local Standard Drink and the Watering Schedules for country areas.

This guide assumes appropriate soil improvement prior to planting, and that the plant is well mulched.

In all cases the watering periods are for established plants.

While some plants may survive at a lower rating than suggested, they may then not perform to expectations.