ozzieeagle

Nearly 26 degrees here in Melbourne today, I should change out of my sweatshirt into my Tshirt I guess.... Anyway It's time to arrange watering systems. I just wondered how others watered their gardens. I love a green lawn and lush foliage, and with hosepipe restrictions still in place in Melbourne, where you can only use a hose with a trigger, and after 7pm and before 7am I think it is, I wondered how people went about watering their gardens.

I've got some big black pipe, about 1.5 inch in diameter, which reaches every part of my back garden, At the end of this week, maybe sooner if the garden begins to wilt before the next lot of for-casted rain. I'll connect the Pipe to the outlet house of the washing machine, slip the pipe through the specially drilled hole and have that in place 24/7 for the whole of the summer season, moving the outlet around with each wash load.

I just wondered what systems others used. I'm considering doing the same with the bath/shower outlet, for the front garden, but as the outlet is so low, looks like I would need a in line pump and possibly a tank, I dont really like the idea of collecting grey water in a tank though, and just wondered if anyone else collects and holds bath water, and whether there are any major problems with this, like smell etc etc ?

Linda Lushardi

I wont be watering any more gardens as of next month as we are moving to a brand new apartment complex in Sydney which has stunning landscaping with swimming pool thrown in. Someone else is paying for it to be looked after.. HALLELUJAH!!!

But one thing to remember about garden watering whether theres restrictions or not. It is far better for the health of plant to water at night anyway. Firstly, watering during the day in high temps will fry the plants and secondly, all the water is wasted due to near enough instant evaporation. Doing it at night allows the soil to soak up the water and keep it most the next day.

bridiej

Good advice, in the UK I always watered just before it got dark so the plants get as much as they need.

Mandy Bale

We are near Sydney and water restrictions are pretty bad here. luckily we are on tank water so we don't have to worry about it. well unless our tanks start to run low, then we worry! but we have been on tank water for a year now and we haven't run out yet. In fact in the last couple of days we have had some much needed rain and tanks are now overflowing. I would suggest installing a tank for watering the garden, they are easy to install aparantly, and in Sydney you get rebates for installing tanks, not sure if that would be the same where you are. I don't know why they don't install them in all the new houses they build now.

Centurion

How very enterprising!!! Personally I've been stuck outside watering the damn lawn with a trigger hose for the last couple of weeks - sigh...

Talking of rebates for tanks - if you live in Central Brisbane you can get one. Live in Redlands - Bayside Brisbane you cant

ozzieeagle

Thanks for the replies, I will probably eventually get a rain water tank, but it would have to be a large one to justify the expense of getting all together. At present the grey water, particuarly from the washing machine, is a very easy alternative, with just one two inch drill hole, all that was need to make it work. Cost about 40 bucks for the large diamater black pipe, the dog has chewed it a bit, but thats a bonus, because the water comes out in small quantaties along the length of it lol.

I'm was very pleased with the results last year, with my lawn, and Bananas getting more than enough water for the whole year, and not showing any signs of stress even on the hottest days, which is why I asked the question about the Bathroom area, and the inline pump and maybe some kind of holding tank.

Anyway my advice is, one families washing machine, waste water is enough to keep a 45 x 50ft back garden going all summer.

Buzzy--Bee

Hello Ozzie Eagle, I use a system here in the UK that I built myself which stores 400 litres of shower water. Unfortunately last summer the neighbours 2 doors down complained about the smell of the stored water so I will have to drain it off this winter and not use it again.

I am very interested to hear your comment about bananas. I am a keen veg and fruit gardener and would love to know what kind of veg and fruit you can grow in Melbourne that you couldn't grow in the UK? Can you really grow bananas big enough to eat?

Thanks mate.

Buzzy

annqldau

Thought they were funny here in Aus about you using grey water...we can only water on odd numbered days and not on Mondays and only with hand held hose. They think you have nothing better to do after 7pm, but then again with Aus TV maybe they are just trying to give you something to do.

Vegemite Kids

Plus most importantly ..... the majority (not all but the majority) of plants do their actual growing at night so watering after 7pm gives them a good "breakfast" If you water early in the morning most of the water has drained away during the day so the plants dont get it when they really need it.

Of course the huge exception to this rule (there's always one isnt there ) is herbs - always, always, always water herbs first thing in the morning, early enough so that by the time the sun has "burn factor", the leaves of the herbs have dried off and wont get frazzled.

Vegemite Kids

for some parts of the garden - Glass of wine in one hand and trigger hose in the other.

for the remainder of the garden - Glass of wine in one hand, chocolate in the other hand and auto-retic

eventually it will be auto-retic in all parts of the garden, leaving hands always free for wine and chocolate



(did you really expect anything less from me ?)

Vegemite Kids

actually the rules vary from state to state depending on the resrtiction level in force.

here in perth the days you can water using retic systems depend on the last digit of your house number (eg 7 = tues & fri), unless you have bore water, in which case you can water whenever you like.

Also if you are using a hose you can water whenever you like.

Think it all depends on what level of water restriction you are on.

Here in the west we are (I believe) on a lower-level restriction than NSW & QLD.


Personally I think the rules here make absolutely no sense ..... bore or scheme, hose or retic, makes no difference really - its still water and still valuable in this arid, sandy country.

But hey, I've got a bore, a hose and a glass of wine so I'm happy !

Vegemite Kids

OMG you have bananas - I'm so jealous. Our neighbours have them also and hubby is fed up of me prattling on about my plans for cutting down one of the mango trees to put a banana plant in. Dont they have THE most fabulous flower ?

Anyways, back on subject, in our last place I used to use the bathroom grey water and it worked a treat, but I never stored it for more than 48 hours and only used it on backyard areas and never on my veggie patch, -only on plants I didnt mind losing, having said that I didnt lose a single one, so now in the new place (if the auto retic packs in) would consider it for my established veggies as well, but still wouldnt use it on my seedlings or herbs). Defo need an in-line pump to get the best results though.

annqldau

Sprinklers totalllly banned and can only use hose hand held on days given at times given...and personally couldn't be bothered to get up before 7am to water so therefore have no herbs.

Have decided to go for lot's of water miser plants and let poor hubby struggle on with half dead lawn.

Timber Floor Au

Get yourselves a watertank.

Even if you are on town water ! Just redirect from downpipe, and conserve this water for watering your gardens.

We have 5 tanks, and 2 dams, and have to use water soo sparingly.

I believe we are on constant drought orders where we live, its classed as a drought area, but then everyone in this area, is on tank water lol... so hosepipe bans dont come into the equation...

I did see a thing on tv, about a guy that invented, a below ground trickle fed sprinkler system, that weeped water thru, a gauze, similar to landscape fabric.

It was a stunning idea, and less water was lost due to evaporation.

Another thing to look at is, re direct waste water from your aircons to a water collector.

On a good humid day, with the aircon running for 10 hrs, you could accumulate, 50 litres + of water !!! do that 20 times a month, it soon adds up...

In fact for a country with such problems as water shortages and drought.. im at amiss why someone, hasnt invented a evaporative collector. Perhaps the energy input, and harmful greenhouse gases, prove more harmful than the benefit of the water extracted ???

Hmmm will ponder on this one, ya see I make this shit up as i go lol

Steve

Centurion

I can see it now - Steve's Evapcooler(TM) - youll be rich!