Raining but still in drought.
by Diane - April 26th, 2012.Filed under: Harrod Horticultural.
Great products and help for gardening in the drought at Harrod Horticultural.
We’re still in drought and even though it’s raining heavily in some parts of the UK it’s not enough to bring us out of drought justyet.
Parts of the south need lots more rain yet.
We’ve had about 18 months of rather dry weather. This means that whilst the rain seems to be heavy it’s got to replenish an awful lot of ground water.
I’d like you to think about using less water in your gardening where ever you can. There are lots of reasons for this – the main one that will be of interest to most people is the work element. Watering plants is time consuming, tedious and can be hard work if you have to use a watering can. If you garden right you can start to reduce the amount of water your plants need.
If you’re buying new plants then look for ones that will manage during a dry spell. Plants in the ground need less watering than tubs, baskets and troughs, so aim to buy plants that you can put in to the soil.
Mulch! It’s a great way of helping the soil keep more water in too.
Mulch after a spell of rain to ensure the soil is wet. Use mulches that allow water to soak through. Using plastic sheeting can seem like the best way of keeping weeds at bay but it stops water getting to the soil which damages plants and means ultimately the weeds can get the upper hand.
Water well when you do water. Don’t just drizzle a bit on, give plants infrequent soakings.
Don’t waste water on the lawn – unless of course you’ve just laid new turf. Lawns will survive being really dry for quite a long time. They look bad when they’re yellow but they will bounce back.
Gardening During A Water Shortage DVD – £2.95
Presented by Oaklands College old boy and Telegraph gardening columnist Tom Petherick
This Gardening During A Water Shortage DVD covers a variety of methods of storing excess water including water butts tanks underground wells and bore holes. A range of measures to help conserve water in the soil by using mulching and shading plants are also covered as gardening during a water shortage and extreme weather conditions are presenting real challenges to vegetable growers with the very real prospect of a drought in some parts of the country again this year. Sale Price Now Only £2.95- SAVE £7.00!
A bargain and well worth buying if you want to find out more about wells and bore holes as well as simple easy tips for getting the most from your garden for less water.
Water Butt Fresh – £6.95
Collecting and storing grey water and rainwater is something gardeners have done for years and keeping that water fresh free from algae and removing any potentially harmful soapy residues has just got a whole lot easier – step forward Water Butt Fresh!This completely organic frog friendly and kind-to-the-environment solution is simply added to your water butt or stored grey water (bath or washing up water) and the result is clearer fresher water; free from the algae scum and silt which usually builds-up in water butts. The hardworking beneficial bacteria contained in Water Butt Fresh also neutralise the effects of soap in grey water and dosing is easy thanks to the integral dosing chamber. Add 25mls of Water Butt Fresh weekly for every 100 litres of rainwater (50mls weekly for grey water) and you’ll be able to literally see for yourself!
Pond Pump – £14.95
This powerful little pond pump is perfect for draining ponds water butts and other garden water containers and because of its novel slimline design it really can go where no pump has gone before! Perfect for easily emptying water butts with limited access this cylindrical battery operated water pump can also be used to drain petrol diesel and other non-corrosive liquids at rate of 350 litres per hour. Take this handy little 64cm long 4.5cm diameter (10cm at the outlet point) garden pump on camping trips and use around the home for emptying aquariums as well as small ponds and patio water features – all in glorious cordlessness!
Raincatcher 700L Black Tank – Universal Raincatcher Tank Tap Kit – GWT-532 £24.95
The Raincatcher 700 Litre Black Tank is the King of waterbutts and will ‘rain’ supreme over of all your garden water storage needs.Measuring a hefty 1.5m wide by 50cm deep and 1m high the 700 litre capacity Raincatcher is flooded with features including easy-fit 34mm connections for rainwater diverters and filters purpose built internal pump housing optional strap and snap fit standard hozelock tap. This jumbo rainwater collection tank even has a lockable 34cm diameter lid for extra safety and easy pump insertion and access; for easy filling we also supply a downspout filter diverter (which fits any downpipe round or square up to 110mm diameter) and at the other end the comprehensive tank tap kit (including connector socket tap and sealing PTFE tape) gives you a second tap and complete water collection flexibility! Manufactured from high density polyethylene and UV stable the Raincatcher 700 Litre Black tank carries a 2 year guarantee but is likely to occupy your garden rainwater storage throne for considerably longer!
Raincatcher 700L Black Tank – Downspout Filter Diverter Black – GWT-533 £46.95
The Raincatcher 700 Litre Black Tank is the King of waterbutts and will ‘rain’ supreme over of all your garden water storage needs.Measuring a hefty 1.5m wide by 50cm deep and 1m high the 700 litre capacity Raincatcher is flooded with features including easy-fit 34mm connections for rainwater diverters and filters purpose built internal pump housing optional strap and snap fit standard hozelock tap. This jumbo rainwater collection tank even has a lockable 34cm diameter lid for extra safety and easy pump insertion and access; for easy filling we also supply a downspout filter diverter (which fits any downpipe round or square up to 110mm diameter) and at the other end the comprehensive tank tap kit (including connector socket tap and sealing PTFE tape) gives you a second tap and complete water collection flexibility! Manufactured from high density polyethylene and UV stable the Raincatcher 700 Litre Black tank carries a 2 year guarantee but is likely to occupy your garden rainwater storage throne for considerably longer!
Raincatcher 700L Black Tank – Raincatcher 700L Tank – GWT-528 £349.95
The Raincatcher 700 Litre Black Tank is the King of waterbutts and will ‘rain’ supreme over of all your garden water storage needs.Measuring a hefty 1.5m wide by 50cm deep and 1m high the 700 litre capacity Raincatcher is flooded with features including easy-fit 34mm connections for rainwater diverters and filters purpose built internal pump housing optional strap and snap fit standard hozelock tap. This jumbo rainwater collection tank even has a lockable 34cm diameter lid for extra safety and easy pump insertion and access; for easy filling we also supply a downspout filter diverter (which fits any downpipe round or square up to 110mm diameter) and at the other end the comprehensive tank tap kit (including connector socket tap and sealing PTFE tape) gives you a second tap and complete water collection flexibility! Manufactured from high density polyethylene and UV stable the Raincatcher 700 Litre Black tank carries a 2 year guarantee but is likely to occupy your garden rainwater storage throne for considerably longer!