From May to September it’s likely your garden or allotment will be needing a little more TLC in the watering department. So, whilst we’re in the midst of the hottest and (typically) driest months of the year, the team at Irrigatia is here to help with eco-friendly watering ideas.

Whether you love tending to your veg patch, your greenhouse, or want to see your flower borders flourish, we’re bringing you our top five tips to help keep your plants happily watered all season long – even if you don’t have an Irrigatia system to do the work for you!

Of course, this is going to be top of our list – can you blame us? An automatic Irrigatia system is the most eco-friendly, time-friendly, and energy-efficient way to keep your plants happy with just the right amount of water. If you don’t already know, our units use solar powered energy to power pumps fed by a water barrel, meaning there’s no need to use any mains electricity or water. It’s great for the environment, and saves you time and money. What are you waiting for?

You might not think it, but watering at the right time of the day makes a huge difference. The Irrigatia system will water your plants through the heat of the day when they most need it. All the water is applied exactly where it is needed and direct to the ground to minimise wastage and evaporation. It will water less as the evening approaches ensuring the ground is not saturated overnight encouraging slugs, snails and fungal diseases.

Believe it or not, but there is a ‘right’ way to water your plants. Place your focus on the roots, as this is where your plants draw their moisture from – showering the whole plant and getting too much water on leaves not only wastes water but also encourages fungal diseases. The beauty of an Irrigatia system is that our drippers do exactly this; administering just the right amount of water right at soil level and avoiding foliage.

One way to make sure you’re watering as efficiently as possible is to make sure your soil condition is ‘just right’. Before planting, mix organic matter through your beds and borders, and then take your time to ‘mulch’. Mulching is fantastic for helping with moisture retention, improving soil fertility, and suppressing weeds. To do this effectively, we recommend creating a layer of either organic matter or gravel at least two inches thick over the top of your prepared soil. This can be laid over Irrigatia seep hose or micro porous hose to conserve water.

It may seem obvious, but different plants need different levels of water, and the type of soil in your garden can make a huge difference in how much moisture is retained and accessible for your plants. Do your research and learn what your plants need; annuals, veg and newly planted areas will need a lot of attention when it comes to watering, whereas your more established trees and shrubs don’t generally need much water beyond natural rainfall. Also pay attention to your soil types; plants in sandy soils will appreciate less water more frequently, whereas those in clay-based soils are happiest with larger amounts of water at greater intervals.