Good day!
The ongoing dry spell has brought up a topic again that I have postponed several times: Where should the water for garden irrigation come from? Until now, I have been using water from the public supply: always available, consistently good pressure, and fairly cost-effective thanks to separate metering. But it probably isn’t sensible to let high-quality drinking water soak into the garden soil.
Is there a general rule of thumb about which form of garden irrigation is best from both financial and ecological perspectives? Essentially, there are three options: water from the public supply, collecting rainwater from roofs in cisterns, or drilling a well (if permitted).
To make the use of rainwater worthwhile, you would need to store a large volume, at least 20 to 30 cubic meters (700 to 1,060 cubic feet) to cover dry periods. The costs for cisterns and the associated earthworks would accordingly be high. Then there are ongoing expenses, such as electricity and maintenance for the pump. Drilling a well also involves costs, plus electricity and pump maintenance. The advantage of a well is that you don’t have to worry about storage capacity.
My garden irrigation system (drip hoses under mulch) consists of four zones, each of which requires one cubic meter (35 cubic feet) per hour. During prolonged dryness, I would ideally run each zone for one hour every two to three days. That adds up to about ten cubic meters (350 cubic feet) per week. With 30 cubic meters (1,060 cubic feet) of storage, this would last just about three weeks. We are increasingly facing situations in Berlin where it doesn’t rain for well over three weeks.
Has anyone here already worked through this in detail?
Matthias
The ongoing dry spell has brought up a topic again that I have postponed several times: Where should the water for garden irrigation come from? Until now, I have been using water from the public supply: always available, consistently good pressure, and fairly cost-effective thanks to separate metering. But it probably isn’t sensible to let high-quality drinking water soak into the garden soil.
Is there a general rule of thumb about which form of garden irrigation is best from both financial and ecological perspectives? Essentially, there are three options: water from the public supply, collecting rainwater from roofs in cisterns, or drilling a well (if permitted).
To make the use of rainwater worthwhile, you would need to store a large volume, at least 20 to 30 cubic meters (700 to 1,060 cubic feet) to cover dry periods. The costs for cisterns and the associated earthworks would accordingly be high. Then there are ongoing expenses, such as electricity and maintenance for the pump. Drilling a well also involves costs, plus electricity and pump maintenance. The advantage of a well is that you don’t have to worry about storage capacity.
My garden irrigation system (drip hoses under mulch) consists of four zones, each of which requires one cubic meter (35 cubic feet) per hour. During prolonged dryness, I would ideally run each zone for one hour every two to three days. That adds up to about ten cubic meters (350 cubic feet) per week. With 30 cubic meters (1,060 cubic feet) of storage, this would last just about three weeks. We are increasingly facing situations in Berlin where it doesn’t rain for well over three weeks.
Has anyone here already worked through this in detail?
Matthias
We have grass (used by some as animal fodder) with roots that reach 80cm (31.5 inches) deep. Frequent watering is counterproductive. Our plot is only 1200 sqm (12,917 sq ft). Most of the plants are hardy and are watered properly only when necessary. There are also thick layers of mulch. About 400 sqm (4,305 sq ft) are left to take care of themselves.
What do you do during a watering ban from March to October?
What do you do during a watering ban from March to October?
haydee schrieb:
Pouring ban from March to October?That has never happened beforeTheoretically, that could happen sometime. In such a case, the supply of drinking water would take priority. Here in the Berlin area, I don’t seriously expect this because we have a geology that is very favorable from a water management perspective. In such a situation, the use of private wells would likely be prohibited as well. That would leave only the use of previously collected rainwater, which brings us back to the issue of very large cisterns...
In practice, it would probably be an advantage to have underground drip irrigation lines that are not visible to anyone. But that would be considered unsupportive towards the community...
By the way, lawns should not be watered daily because that spoils them and discourages good root development. The general guideline for lawns is about 30 liters of water per square meter per week (about 1 inch per week), which could be applied in two sessions. However, lawns are essentially a largely useless monoculture, so I have converted much of my lawn area into insect-friendly wildflower meadows. These specifically require very little water.
In practice, it would probably be an advantage to have underground drip irrigation lines that are not visible to anyone. But that would be considered unsupportive towards the community...
By the way, lawns should not be watered daily because that spoils them and discourages good root development. The general guideline for lawns is about 30 liters of water per square meter per week (about 1 inch per week), which could be applied in two sessions. However, lawns are essentially a largely useless monoculture, so I have converted much of my lawn area into insect-friendly wildflower meadows. These specifically require very little water.
If there is no more water available for irrigation here, the garden will just turn yellow for a season. Honestly.
Thinking one step further: who is more likely to be suspected, the one with the yellow garden or the one with the green one? It doesn’t matter whether an underground system or lawn sprinklers are used.
We are currently experiencing what is called a once-in-a-century event. That also distorts perception. I would only consider taking measures based on the current situation once things have calmed down a bit.
Thinking one step further: who is more likely to be suspected, the one with the yellow garden or the one with the green one? It doesn’t matter whether an underground system or lawn sprinklers are used.
We are currently experiencing what is called a once-in-a-century event. That also distorts perception. I would only consider taking measures based on the current situation once things have calmed down a bit.
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