We’re going through a dry spell or is it a drought? Since end of last year, one side of the country had too much water and the other went perceptibly dry. Now, everywhere is becoming almost arid with water-rationing in some states. Directives emanate from the state and Federal authorities, that citizens must skimp and save water. Yes, we should do that for our own conservation. There must certainly be a change in mentality when resources we take so much for granted are no more available in abundance. The usual reminders broadcast in the media tell us to restrict our usage of water, especially where seen as ‘unnecessary’, and one of these is the restriction on watering our garden plants with a hose pipe.
I wonder if that’s a saving or a waste, because plants actually serve to conserve water and clean the air we breath. Plants cool the environment, reducing dust from exposed baked earth. I decided to experiment and see if keeping our green guardians protected and healthy through a dry spell would help conserve water and increase the potential for rain clouds.
So, armed with the hose pipe, I watered the hedge around the garden, only at the roots. The potted plants were also watered and it shocked me to discover that the water that ran out of the bottom of the pots was hot! This seemed to show that the plants actually burnt up in the dry heated earth in their pots. Hopefully, by cooling them down with a little cool water from time to time, it would help keep the plants alive and green. The garden always looks happier after a little drink.
I didn’t water the grass, as grass usually comes back on its own, even if burnt black by fire. Perhaps, if I did this watering judiciously, twice a week, the hedge, my two orange blossom bushes and the potted plants will hold out during the dry spell, maintaining their refreshing greenery, conserving ground water and cooling the air to a more bearable temperature. The grass is already greening a little in places where water ran off from the pots or dripped from wet clothes on the clothes line.
Washing the car uses two pails of water; the used rinsing water is given to the plants, and doesn’t go down the drain. If you use bio-degradable car wash liquid, it could be safer to pour it into the ground. Every bit helps.
It isn’t too difficult to save our green guardians, if we decide to do it in a non-wasteful way. We can save ourselves by protecting and saving our green guardians, instead of neglecting them.
When the rains come, hopefully soon, water conservation should continue. Collecting rain-water in large covered containers, will allow a ready supply of extra water, at no cost, to keep our green guardians alive, and for other purposes, besides the treated water from the tap.
If we value life on this planet, we must make sure the eco-system we live in is alive and well. If our green guardians perish, so will we, eventually. Indiscriminate, unplanned deforestation for building construction, industrial wood supply and purposeless removal of jungle vegetation will only result in the death of our green guardians and ultimately the eco-system with all that depends on it, including human life. This place could become just another stretch of dead desert. Will we make this nightmare a reality sooner than we expect?
Winking at Life 