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the bucket watering saga
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Posted by nadianadia (My Page) on Sun, Jul 2, 06 at 12:00
| I think each rose bush can survive on a 9L bucket of water once a week during these moderate temperatures, and with a little light rain a bucket of water once a fortnight. If it does start to look a little like rain tho I usually pour out a bucket of seasol/water on those that look like they need it. I have 18 rose bushes so you have to be a little determined. But happily, unlike with hoses, you can bucket water any time of the day. Then there's the herb garden and flowers. The gardenias and the lilly pillies I don't water, tough enough to look after themselves.
I waited until after the showers before digging garden beds and planting the rose cuttings. Otherwise you would have to use buckets of water to soften up the soil.
Shock horror someone confided in me that they never used to water their roses. Either it rained or it didn't and they survived. Which is probably fair enough, its not that it doesn't rain - its that it doesn't rain where the dams are. Probably is enough to keep the garden moderately alive. Though the grass is on the brown side and no I won't be watering it either.
Misty Morn how easy is it to get grey water up and running. I know if we go up a level in water restrictions you won't be allowed to water your garden unless you have tank water or grey water. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: the bucket watering saga
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Nadia - I hardly water mine, BUT it really depends what roses you are growing, what climate you live in, what type of soil you have and how you treat them
Here we have reliable summer rain, it never gets intensely hot - always some water vapour in the air to protect, the soil is heavy clay loam on flat land so what water there is doesn't drain terribly well, and I use a thick mulch of pea straw to suppress the weeds and keep what moisture there is in the soil. I find i need to water them a bit in late Feb, March and early April. I run a soaker hose from our water tank.
The gallicas and damask roses i rarely ever water - maybe twice a year. They bloom in Spring, and survive the summer without much assistance. They are also heavily mulched. |
RE: the bucket watering saga
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| Well with winter here the soil is holding the water well and the sprinkles of rain here and there would keep established roses on the go. I envy your weather. The whole garden really goes into halt in summer. The gallicas are definitely hardy. I don't know a lot about the older roses and what I do know is that they are often tall. Do you have any shrubbier shorter ones you'd recommend? |
RE: the bucket watering saga
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In my garden, I've let everything go except for the roses, of course! and some tropicals that are under cover, and some coleos (?) that's about it. I've got rid of a lot of little stuff that was around the base of the bigger shrubs. No annuals, of course except for what has self-seeded from last year. I'm taking care of those, simply because, if they are hardy enough to make it this far, the least I can do is give a hand (or cup of water)
Unfortunately, I've got quite a few roses in pots and I just can't keep the ants out.
I'm going to post a query for any ideas.
It's a tad depressing. :(( |
RE: the bucket watering saga
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| I am not having any trouble with the roses yet, so far I only water them about every second week if the soil is dry. Both raised roses beds are covered in about 25-30cms of sugar cane mulch. The roses growing up against tree trunks get about a half bucket of water weekly as do the ones below the arches I feel there is no need for much watering yet as the days are still very cool at 25 degrees and the mornings and late evenings are freezing... MM |
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