Your plants and your wallet will love rainwater

Avid gardeners spend a good portion of winter planning what to plant in the spring. Even occasional gardeners spend a lot of time and money on their plants. Regular watering is one of the keys to a successful garden. So what can a gardener do when faced with a lack of rain combined with water restrictions in the middle of a hot summer?

Saving rainwater for use during dry spells is an old practice that is becoming popular again. This low-tech but ingenious solution is simple and inexpensive, providing chemical-free water that plants thrive on.

Rainwater rooftop harvesting system

Plastic rain barrels come in a variety of sizes, the most common being 50 to 60 gallons. Just place the barrel under a downspout in an inconspicuous part of your garden and wait for it to rain. Rather than letting rainwater flow down the driveway into a storm drain, it will collect in the barrel for later use.

It can collect a surprisingly large amount of rainwater from its gutters. Just a small amount of rain - less
than half an inch - can easily fill a 50-gallon rain barrel, so you can quickly start collecting enough to keep your flower beds, garden, or houseplants well watered. "It won't be enough to water your lawn, but it will be enough for orchards, flowers and shrubs," says Lars Hundley, owner of CleanAirGardening.com, a Dallas-based online business that specializes in green lawns and gardens. supplies. To collect more water, you can connect multiple barrels with a pipe or hose, or you can place barrels under more than one gutter downspout.

Once your rain barrel is full, you can connect a hose to the rain barrel to water your garden (rain barrels are perfect to use with soaker hoses), or you can simply dip a watering can into the barrel. Rainwater is naturally soft and free of minerals, chlorine, fluorine, and other chemicals.

"Trees and plants depend on fungi, bacteria and nematodes to help them absorb the minerals and nutrients they need," explains Hundley. "Plants have an efficient immune system that allows them to defend themselves against disease and other invaders as long as they have healthy soil and are not stressed by other factors," he adds. Chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, and drought alter the balance and harmony of the soil, weakening trees and plants and allowing disease to take over. “Chemicals and hard water from many municipal water systems also add to the soil imbalance. Watering with softer, more natural rainwater is a pleasant pleasure for your plants, ”says Hundley.

Besides being good for your plants, rain barrels can also save you money. Some experts estimate that lawn and garden watering accounts for nearly 40 percent of total household water use during the summer; By using collected rainwater, you can substantially reduce this amount. As a bonus, rainwater harvesting also helps control moisture levels around the foundation of your home.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when buying a rain barrel:

barrel

* Make sure your barrel is child proof. A safety grid at the top prevents the entry of children and animals.

* All systems must use covered drums that prevent water from collecting leaves and other debris. They must also have some type of filter to prevent the entry of silt and leaves; These can range from a funnel with a mesh on the bottom that is covered in gravel to a rainwater scrubber that you can buy.

* Prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your barrel by keeping it well covered and using debris screens to filter the water before it enters the barrel. Cleaning gutters and downspouts frequently and using rainwater collected within a few days will also help control mosquito problems. You can place a non-toxic mosquito "mat" in the barrel for added protection.