Did you know, the average household uses around 60% of their water in the garden? Making sure you water efficiently is an easy way to save water and ensure your plants get the water they need to survive.
You can help your plants by watering when it matters. You only need to water once on your rostered watering days, even if you're using a bore.
On your rostered days, make sure you’re watering before 9am or after 6pm. Watering in the morning is best as the cooler temperature means less evaporation and allows plants to use water throughout the day when they need it most.
You can hand water any day of the week, preferably before 9am. Using a watering can or handheld hose (1 outlet) with a nozzle, is the most efficient way to hit the root zone and target specific plants that need water more than others. It also helps to avoid over watering. Learn more hand watering tips.
In Perth and the South West, your garden and lawn only need 10mm of water, twice a week in summer to sustain your garden and keep it healthy. This amount of water is ideal for filtering down to most plants' feeding roots.
Watering more than this doesn’t provide your plants with any additional benefit. Overwatering can contribute to leaching vital nutrients from the soil. Find out how to set the recommended sprinkler run times for your sprinkler type.
Irrigation systems use a lot of water and can often be the reason for a high water bill. By programming your tap timers and irrigation system correctly and regularly checking your system, you’ll nurture your garden, while using water efficiently.
Read a transcript of this video
No matter the season, your irrigation system should always be turned off when it’s raining. It’s easy to do, just switch your controller to ‘off’, select the ‘rain’ option, or press ‘snooze’. Some models even have gutter mounted rain sensors that will turn the water off for you automatically if you’re away or if it rains overnight.
If you live in Perth or the South West region, it’s important to be aware of the Winter Sprinkler Switch-off. The switch-off applies from 1 June - 31 August every year.
Waterwise products can help you reduce the amount of water you use in your garden. With support from Smart Drop Certified, we have developed an endorsement program. The program provides an opportunity for approved products to feature the waterwise logo on their packaging, making it easy for you to find water efficient products.