Keeping the lawn going through a drought!

Mojisola

cubegame wrote: »

Ignore the ban and water it anyway. How exactly do you think they catch people?

During the serious water shortages we used to have when hosepipe bans were regular events each summer, the water companies used helicoptors to look for the green lawns. Green lawns among brown lawns meant someone was in breach of the ban!

PaulJM

Mojisola wrote: »

During the serious water shortages we used to have when hosepipe bans were regular events each summer, the water companies used helicoptors to look for the green lawns. Green lawns among brown lawns meant someone was in breach of the ban!

Hahaha - Although I think it's probably right to not use one so we can preserve water, and the fact the above posts all point to the lawn recovering anyway, I think if I was ever visited by someone saying my lawn was too green, I'd enjoy the ensuing fight But I expect that is a bit 'Daily Mail'

I reckon it's fair to regularly water the vegetables though, as the above poster states - you're saving a hell of a lot of carbon/water/polution doing these things yourself.
But reading through these posts, it looks like you're allowed to fill a water butt/large container anyway - so I'd personally carry on watering my veg.

olly300

PaulJM wrote: »

Hahaha - Although I think it's probably right to not use one so we can preserve water, and the fact the above posts all point to the lawn recovering anyway, I think if I was ever visited by someone saying my lawn was too green, I'd enjoy the ensuing fight But I expect that is a bit 'Daily Mail'

I reckon it's fair to regularly water the vegetables though, as the above poster states - you're saving a hell of a lot of carbon/water/polution doing these things yourself.
But reading through these posts, it looks like you're allowed to fill a water butt/large container anyway - so I'd personally carry on watering my veg.

Along as you aren't using a hosepipe on your "garden" then you are OK.

knithryn

I have a question.
(I have just planted up my elderly neighbour's garden with bedding plants - bought cheap - and I have a good number of veg in my own garden)
If I was to run the hose across the garden, and use it to fill up my watering can to water the garden, is that permissable in a hosepipe ban?
So far I have been 'spot watering' most of the plants, though I have given the gardens a long soak with sprinklers in order to try and get the ground damp deep down in preparation for a ban.
Of course if the water companies had mended the leaks, and not decided to drain some reservoirs in the NW this year we might be in a better state. And what happened to all the flood water we had not too long back anyway?

BargainGalore

Yes you can its just hosepipes are wasteful, watering cans usually aren't

knithryn wrote: »

I have a question.

If I was to run the hose across the garden, and use it to fill up my watering can to water the garden, is that permissable in a hosepipe ban?
S

Primrose

During the last hosepipe ban, our particular water authority confirmed that a hosepipe could still be used to fill a container such as a water butt or a watering can. So as I have a bad back and can't lug heavy watering cans around , I unreeled the hosepipe to the edge of my vegetable garden and filled the watering can there. It was still inconvenient having to water by that method but it did save a lot of heavy fetching and carrying.
The grass isn't growing much at the moment because it's so dry, but if you can give the ground a good soak with a sprinkler first and then mulch around plants/shrubs with grass clippings, this will also help retain moisture in the soil for a little longer.

olly300

knithryn wrote: »

. And what happened to all the flood water we had not too long back anyway?

Flood water gets mixed with river water and raw sewage so isn't useful.

One problem with rain is that it has to rain in the right places i.e. over the reservoirs, and at the right time of year.

Plus it doesn't help that in the NW, United Utilities doesn't take water from rivers and the ground as a matter of course.

WestonDave

I'm not so worried about the brown grass, its the huge cracks opening up in it that is slightly more concerning. Its probably the fir tree taking the water out - however its a bit of a two edged sword - on one hand its shade prevents evaporation underneath it, but on the open lawn nearby its clearly sucking loads of water out. For the time being I'm filling the cracks with compost and washing it in, hopefully it will not only fill the holes but also help drainage in a clay soil. I think however long term it might be time to get rid of the tree.

EmptyPockets

I'm going to ask a stupid question now... but... how do we know if there is actually a hosepipe ban in place? As this is our first gardening year, and our first year really taking notice of anything greenfingered... who actually informs us that there's a ban on..?

tomterm8

EmptyPockets wrote: »

I'm going to ask a stupid question now... but... how do we know if there is actually a hosepipe ban in place? As this is our first gardening year, and our first year really taking notice of anything greenfingered... who actually informs us that there's a ban on..?

It goes onto the local news, and you can check your water providers hosepipe.

My understanding is you can fill a waterbutt up, but you can't use a hosepipe from a waterbutt. You are allowed to use a small bit of hoze from the tap, to full your watering can, but again the operative word is "small".

In the last hosepipe ban, we pumped used bath water from the bath upstairs, and were told off. We'd been naughty. So we had to use new water from the tap to water our vegetables. Idjits:rotfl:

By the way... we've never watered our lawns, not ever... if it is dry we leave them longer than normal, and it revives very quickly.