Gardening in drought conditions

The severe drought that has Polokwane and surrounding areas in its grip has led to many gardens slowly perishing in the withering sun.
Gideon and Cornie Odendaal, owners of Callidendron Indigenous Nursery specialises in gardening solutions and offer some advice on how to save water while still maintaining a beautiful garden.
“Even if you have your own borehole, the water does not belong to you. You only have stewardship over the water. Water from the borehole comes from an underground aquifer, from which all the boreholes in the area get their water,” says Cornie, stressing the importance of using water responsibly.
“Consider the water needs of a plant, and only supplement what it does not get from the rain. Anything more is wasted and if you water too much, the plants cannot use the excess. The energy used to pump the water, is wasted; literally money down the drain,” Gideon explains.
Both Cornie and Gideon suggests that gardeners plant more drought resistant plants, store rainwater for later use, use grey water like bathwater for watering the garden, and to create shade to limit evaporation.
“Add good compost to the soil, use drip irrigation as far as possible, and do not disturb the top layer of the soil by frequent digging and raking, but rather put down a layer of mulch,” is their advice.
Cornie also advises that gardeners use as much recycled water as possible in these extreme drought conditions.
“Catch the water coming from the bath, shower, washbasin and washing machine and use it to water the garden. The simplest way is to divert the drainpipe directly to a pipe leading to the garden, but this will work only when the place to be watered is downhill from the source.
“Alternatively, let the grey water run into a tank via a lint trap and then pump it to where it should be. It is important to use a pure soap or a biodegradable detergent for laundry if the water is to be recycled. Dishwater is not used because of the fat in it and toilet water is sewerage or black water and does not qualify to be recycled,” she says.
The couple agrees that drought resistant indigenous plants and trees like the Wild Pear, Corkbush, Jacketplum, Wild Olive, Coral Trees and Bushveld Gardenia are sure to keep any garden beautiful despite a lack of water.

MARKI FRANKEN
>>marki.observer@gmail.com