Environmental degradation is one of the biggest contributors to climate change and this is mainly due to human activities.
It, therefore, becomes important to rebuild the environment via deliberate efforts and powerful actions. One of such actions is gardening.
For millions of people, gardens/gardening is seen as insignificant actions or hobbies and not as essential tools in the fight against climate change. What they do not know is that gardening offsets the effects of pollution and environmental deterioration.
For example, a healthy garden is a natural and powerful carbon sink. In addition to that, it nourishes the soil which gives room for plant growth, biodiversity, and less erosion.
Despite their roles in effectively combating climate change, they also are at risk of drought – one of the effects of climate change.
As a gardener, seeing as climate change and global warming are causing extended periods of dry weather in many areas, the thought of losing all the hard work you put into your garden to drought can be quite distressing. Therefore, it is important that you make some major changes to it to make it more drought resistant.
Luckily, we’ll be revealing 6 things you can do during drought to help keep your plants lush.
Mulch your beds
Mulching is the process of spreading decaying leaves, bark, or compost. around or over a plant to enrich or insulate the soil.
Mulching your borders and flower beds with natural materials traps moisture in the soil, reducing the water requirements of your plants.
You can also use your own garden waste materials to make compost to use as mulch or you can buy dedicated mulch materials.
Recycle gray water
Gray water is the water that isn’t soiled by sewage that is generated from activities in your home. This can be your bath water or water from your washing machine or dishwasher.
Bathwater and water from the sink after doing the dishes are some of the easiest gray water sources to get your hands on. Just bail some out in a bucket or a watering can and it’s ready to use in your garden.
Encourage root growth
The deeper the roots of your garden, the more resilient to drought it is, as it’s able to take water from deeper within the soil. Try to water it so that the soil is moist at least 4 to 6 inches below the surface.
Watering it deeper than you usually would, but less frequently, is a perfect way to encourage deep root growth.
Your garden will also develop deeper roots if you keep the grass longer than you might usually. Around 3 to 4 inches is a good length for most grasses, but no shorter than 2.5 inches.
