Booragoon household one of the first to take up Waterwise Irrigation Controller Offer

As the saying goes, you can’t control the weather – but you can ensure your irrigation system adapts to it, with the help of a new Water Corporation water saving initiative.

Booragoon resident, Jane Nielsen, was one of the first to take part in the new Waterwise Irrigation Controller Offer that allows households to receive a 50 per cent discount (up to $350) on the supply and installation of a weather based irrigation controller.

Weather based controllers ensure sprinkler systems are set to water on the correct day and automatically make irrigation adjustments based on weather data from local weather stations and the needs of your garden.

Jane said she was visiting her local Total Eden Watering Systems in Myaree when she heard about the offer and made the decision to invest in a weather based irrigation controller.

“The ease of having the weather based irrigation controller installed and programmed to our watering days was perfect,” Jane said. 

“Knowing the system will automatically adjust itself using local weather means we’ll save water in the garden.”

More than 40 per cent of household water use occurs outside the home and with summer approaching, now is the time to make sure your irrigation system is working efficiently.

A total of 500 offers are available for households across the Perth metropolitan area.

Water Corporation’s top tips for spring:

1. A good start is to look at your soil, as this can be the foundation of a healthy garden and provides the best conditions for you to use less water on your plants to keep them healthy.

Sandy soils are common in Western Australia and have a very poor capacity to hold water. Mixing in soil improver into the top 30 cm of your soil, then adding and watering in a soil wetting agent. This will help it hold more water and allow it to penetrate the roots of your lawn and plants.

2. Don’t forget to mulch – mulch is like sunscreen for your soil, it reduces evaporation, weed growth, wind erosion and the stress on plant roots.

3. Consider planting more climate tolerant plants, they can still be beautiful and full of colour, they just don’t need as much water. If you would like to know what waterwise plants would suit the conditions around where you live in WA, go to the waterwise plant directory on our website.

It’s also useful to hydrozone your plants – in other words - group plants together with similar watering needs, to make sure your garden is getting the right amount of water it needs without wasting a drop.