February is a hot, dry month in the Western Cape, which means you’ll have to give your garden a fair amount of water. Here are some tips to help you use water wisely, so that you can look forward to a green garden, without a sky-high water bill:

Water less frequently, but more deeply. This will encourage your plants to develop deeper root systems. Roots close to the surface dry out quickly, but plants with roots more than 10cm below the surface are far more drought resistant. At a depth of 10cm below the soil, the temperature can be up to 5°C cooler.

Before you water, feel the soil below the surface by sticking your finger in a few centimeters deep. Sometimes soil looks dry on top, but it’s moist a few centimeters below.

Use a fine nozzle to water new seedlings. Established plants should be watered by flooding the garden beds. Place the tip of the hosepipe right into the garden bed, so that you don’t lose water to evaporation by watering from high above.

Make sure that you hose pipe, as well as its fittings and nozzles are all in good shape, so that you don’t lose water through leakages.

Keep your plants well fed and free of disease. This way they will be more resistant to dry conditions.

Avoid watering on windy days, or in the middle of the day. It’s best to water before 9am in the morning, or after 5pm at night.

Move your container plants to a shadier area to decrease their watering requirements.