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Photo Credit: Annie Spiegelman

A drought-tolerant garden combined with low-volume watering is water-wise heaven!

It seems as each year passes, weather patterns get more and more unpredictable. Will it be another dry growing season or not? As gardeners, the best thing we can do is be prepared, and low-volume irrigation is a great way to help your garden survive the dry months.

What is low-volume irrigation? It simply means applying a smaller amount of water to a uniform depth directly to the plant’s root zone. It’s a win-win situation because it reduces water waste and your water bill at the same time. But to be effective, you have to make sure your soil is holding all the moisture it can – and that means compost, compost, compost!

Rake in 2-3 inches of compost on top of your soil. If you’ve been consistently doing this once or twice a year, you’ll only need to place the compost on top and not rake it in. The microorganisms you nourish in your healthy soil will do the underground work for you. With sandy soil, you’ll lose less water to the subsoil, and with compacted clay soil, water will easily trickle its way to the critical roots and stay for the party.

Once you’ve got compost around your plants, add a 2-3 inch layer of mulch. Try wood chips, shredded bark, grass clippings, stems and leaves, straw or cocoa hulls. Spread the mulch around the plants, but try to keep it a few inches away from the main stem or tree trunk to avoid pests and fungal problems.

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Photo Credit: Annie Spiegelman

A drip system delivers the right amount of water right where a plant needs it – to the root zone.

Next, take those sprinklers out of your watering regimen. They’re not part of a low-volume watering routine. What you need is the queen bee of irrigation: the drip system. Drip emitters place water directly at a plant’s roots. Studies have shown that a well-designed drip system uses at least 30 percent (and in some cases, 50 percent) less water than other irrigation methods.

A drip system isn’t complicated to install, especially if you liked playing with Tinkertoys® as a kid, but it can be time-consuming if you’re a novice. Just think of it as a fun weekend project, with a little patience and a good shopping list. (The plumbing department at my local hardware store has witnessed me in near meltdown stage, muttering to myself about an attachment valve until a sales associate thankfully has come to my rescue.)

Once you’ve set up your drip system, you may want to add a timer to it. There are straightforward ones you can set up yourself, but if you have a large yard with many different drip lines, it’d behoove you to hire a home landscape irrigation specialist in your area.

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Photo Credit: Ernst Benary® Inc.

Soaker hoses are a low-tech way to avoid water waste.

Of course, a soaker hose is simpler, less expensive and less time-consuming. The 25- or 50-foot-long hose has pin-size holes in it. Just lay it on the ground by the plants and turn on the hose bib. Each hose costs about $30 and works well on flat surfaces. The hoses are quick and easy to install and maintain – but they don’t save as much water as drip irrigation. No matter which watering method you go with, just be sure to check your equipment periodically for leaks – it’ll save you money (and guilt).