Gardening Tips for the Green Fingers

86. Water your garden early in the morning or late in the evening
to avoid evaporation.
87. Keep plants with similar watering requirements together. You
will avoid overwatering your garden.
88. Don't use a sprinkler unless you absolutely have to. If using a
sprinkler, make sure your lawn is being sprinkled, not the sidewalk.
89. Don't use an automatic sprinkler or you'll end up watering
your lawn when it's not really necessary.
90. Compost organic waste and use the compost to enrich the
soil. Thus you're also improving waterholding. Richer soil is slower
to lose moisture.
91. Don't water your garden after the rain or when the soil is wet
enough. Although it seems obvious, many people will still do it.
92. If you've got an uneven terrain in your garden, distribute watering to shorter spans using less
water. Otherwise the water will run downhill and the top parts will remain too dry.
93. Consider introducing stone gardens, walkways and patios around your house. These spaces
don't require watering (stone gardens require less watering than conventional flowerbeds).
94. Use mulch around plants to retain moisture for longer. Pine-bark mulch is the best.
95. If you have some extra time try to grow your own vegetables. You'll get more nutrients and
reduce your foodmiles by buying less stuff from the shops.
96. Don't use chemical fertilizers and insecticides in your garden. Explore organic methods of
gardening.
97. Check for leaks in your pool. Turn off the automatic refilling device and see if the water level
falls.
98. If you absolutely have to have a fountain in your garden, choose a cascading fountain.
Sprinkler fountains evaporate and spill too much water.
99. Better still buy a fountain powered by a solar cell. You can also retrofit solar cells to older
fountains so that they stop using electricity from the grid.
100. Equip your pool and fountain with a water recirculation system.
101. When replacing water in fish-tanks don't discard it. Use it to water your plats - it is rich in
nutrients.
102. Fit movement sensors to the outside lights so that they light up only when necessary