Solving Your Water Wastage Woes On The Farm

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

When it comes to growing of any kind, then there’s no getting around the fact that we need water to do so. However, you may not need quite as much water as you might think. In fact, a lot of water gets wasted when farming, even on small plots. For that reason, let’s take a look at what you can do to live a more sustainable lifestyle and ensure you’re not over-reliant on water.

Time your watering well

Understanding the process of evaporation, it’s important to make sure you’re timing your watering when the sun is less likely to soak up what you put on the ground. To that end, it’s a good idea to irrigate your crops in the early morning or dusk, when the temperatures are lower. If you’re making use of. Evaporation of water from plants is not only a water conversation error, but it can also result in your plants getting dehydrated, even after you have already watered them.

Make better use of your rainfall

One of the most effective ways to ensure that you’re making better use of the water available to you is to make sure you’re not 100% reliant on your local water supply. Rainwater catchment systems collect the water that falls from the sky. You can potentially catch thousands of gallons of water a season, with two 500 gallon tanks getting filled by only two inches of water. It’s best to keep these catchment systems somewhere cool to prevent evaporation of their stores, as well. Similarly, you can use more greywater from the household for smaller planting areas, such as a vegetable garden, in much the same respect.

Use smarter irrigation systems

Irrigation systems are a huge time-saver when it comes to making sure that your farm gets the watering that it needs. It stops you from having to manually water the lot yourself. However, standard sprinkler systems can waste a lot of water in the process. A decent drip irrigation system makes sure that this isn’t the case. Instead of spraying water all over the place, it applies slow drips of water when and where it is needed to ensure effective hydration.

Ensure top quality soil

How effectively your plants retain what water you give them is going to be, in large part, dictated by the quality of your soil and, as such, you should do what you can to ensure the best quality of your earth. Higher quality soil can better retain moisture as well as the oxygen that plants need to grow healthily. If you have higher quality soil that better retains moisture, then you don’t need to worry as much about having to overwater. Good quality manure and compost can improve soil conditions.

As mentioned, you need water to grow plants and crops of any kind, so try not to feel too guilty about having to use water. Just use the tips above and be on the lookout for new opportunities to reduce your usage as you go.