# Garden!



## carusel (Mar 14, 2015)

Hi Everyone!

I've got quite a bit of garden (well actually all the way around the house) and up until now, it was watered from an irrigation system. Well now the irrigation system (which incidentally is very old), has packed up and I've had absolutely no luck getting the landlord to fix it, so it's the hoses out for me.

My wee question because I'm getting conflicting advice and I don't want to end up destroying a lovely garden.... how often throughout the week should I be watering...daily presumably in these temperatures??? I don't even know how much water I should be giving each plant. I feel a bit useless really and a little frustrated because I would have thought the landlord would be concerned that his beautiful garden may be getting neglected (although most definitely on purpose). Anyway, as always, any advice gratefully received.

Carusel


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## Guest (Jun 28, 2015)

I am in exactly the same position apart from the fact that we own the irrigation system and I''ve had no joy in persuading OH to fix it. So I am out twice, if not three times a day with a hose and a watering can. I know nothing about gardening but by dint of actually having kept plants alive over the last few weeks, I suggest giving them a good soaking as late at night as you can, then (against all advice) I water them again at midday and once again in the evening. I exclude any plants that look somewhat tropical and designed by nature to cope with extreme heat and dryness. My rule of thumb is that if it has green leaves and no spikes, it needs watering. I will be really interested to hear any input from experienced gardeners. So far, all I've killed off is a courgette plant.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

carusel said:


> Hi Everyone!
> 
> I've got quite a bit of garden (well actually all the way around the house) and up until now, it was watered from an irrigation system. Well now the irrigation system (which incidentally is very old), has packed up and I've had absolutely no luck getting the landlord to fix it, so it's the hoses out for me.
> 
> ...


In high temps and with a watering system we water a little early in the morning (around 7am) and late in the evening (11:00pm). You shouldn't water when the heat is already "on" for various reasons; there's a lot of evaporation, plants can get burnt by the sun's rays being magnified by drops of water and you too can get burnt standing out in the sun with a hose.
A little and often rather than a lot not very often is usally thought best, but ebyond that I can't really help,
You could try the gardening sticky in La tasca


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

meetloaf said:


> I am in exactly the same position apart from the fact that we own the irrigation system and I''ve had no joy in persuading OH to fix it. So I am out twice, if not three times a day with a hose and a watering can. I know nothing about gardening but by dint of actually having kept plants alive over the last few weeks, I suggest giving them a good soaking as late at night as you can, then (against all advice) I water them again at midday and once again in the evening. I exclude any plants that look somewhat tropical and designed by nature to cope with extreme heat and dryness. My rule of thumb is that if it has green leaves and no spikes, it needs watering. I will be really interested to hear any input from experienced gardeners. So far, all I've killed off is a courgette plant.


Tell OH that a watering system is much more economical in amount of water used, money and time wasted. Personally I wouldn't have a garden without one in Madrid and going south...


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Strangely I was also in this position - a broken down watering system - they must be unreliable. 

I found that in June, July and August a good soaking at sundown was sufficient, watering at any other time of day was a waste - it just evaporated.


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## stevelin (Apr 25, 2009)

And water is very expensive unless you have your own well


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

stevelin said:


> And water is very expensive unless you have your own well


... depends where you are in Spain.

Our bills are generally around 60€ per quarter - and that's with irrigation and topping up the pool.


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## stevelin (Apr 25, 2009)

Im in Andalusia not far from Malaga my quarterly bill is around 120 E. We do have a pool but very little watering of plants and only 2 of us


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

snikpoh said:


> ... depends where you are in Spain.
> 
> Our bills are generally around 60€ per quarter - and that's with irrigation and topping up the pool.


Our last quarter's bill was a surprisingly modest 150 euros...without irrigation or topping up the pool.
We are not wasteful....how come we pay so much more?

P.S. We don't have a leak, have tested.


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## carusel (Mar 14, 2015)

Many thanks as always to everyone!!


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> Our last quarter's bill was a surprisingly modest 150 euros...without irrigation or topping up the pool.
> We are not wasteful....how come we pay so much more?
> 
> P.S. We don't have a leak, have tested.


That's really strange - does that price include anything else (like basura)?

Just had our water bill for the last quarter - this included a complete refill of the pool, 5 in the house (showers, baths, w/machine etc.) plus many 'guests' and the bill was only 95€


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> Our last quarter's bill was a surprisingly modest 150 euros...without irrigation or topping up the pool.
> We are not wasteful....how come we pay so much more?
> 
> P.S. We don't have a leak, have tested.


This is about what we pay, with no pool or irrigation, and with no other services included (such as rubbish) except sewerage. I am always surprised to hear on the forum how little other people pay. I have been told that our water company is one of the most expensive in Spain. It's not like we have choice of water company, so we just have to pay their rates.


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2015)

We live in fear of our water bill having heard what other people around here pay. I am waiting for OH to announce that my plants will have to be sacrificed. In his dreams -


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## passiflora (Jun 28, 2012)

I don't know if you grow just flowers or if you plant any vegetables as well. We have irrigation water for our little finca which costs about 15 euro for every 90 cm of water which we have, at the moment, twice a month. This waters our olives (150 or so ) the citrus trees and all my little flower and veg. patches. What I do when planting is to make a trough and plant in that so that when I water, the water stays in the boundaries and doesn't run off to weeds etc. Also, as others say,water in the evening. I let my patches of whatever have a good soak using just a trickle of water, running it for half an hour or so: this lets it soak well down. Just flushing with a strong hose doesn't let the water get down and stay long enough for the plants to slurp it all up. If you can get hold of any manure from a stables or somebodies rabbits, goats, sheep etc, a good mulch of that round any plants will help keep the dampness in.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kalohi said:


> This is about what we pay, with no pool or irrigation, and with no other services included (such as rubbish) except sewerage. I am always surprised to hear on the forum how little other people pay. I have been told that our water company is one of the most expensive in Spain. It's not like we have choice of water company, so we just have to pay their rates.


Good gracious. I don''t have a garden (just pot plants) or a pool, which obviously has a lot to do with our consumption, but we get 2-monthly bills which are always around €30, ie €15 per month.


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2015)

Passiflora - someone else has recently recommended that water is better trickled than hosed in. Now you have given the same advice I will do this. Just round the corner is a farmer with a flock of goats - I may have a chat with him. I thought we didn't have many plants but when you realise each one needs slightly different treatment, I have my hands full. I have basically flowers, plants, citrus trees, fig trees and cacti but am growing honeysuckle to form a privacy hedge. Flushed with success I have branched out into lettuces and rocket, the strawberries being long since eaten.

Lynn, believe me, the pool is the killer as regards water consumption.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

snikpoh said:


> That's really strange - does that price include anything else (like basura)?
> 
> Just had our water bill for the last quarter - this included a complete refill of the pool, 5 in the house (showers, baths, w/machine etc.) plus many 'guests' and the bill was only 95€


No, it covers water and sewerage, costs split around 50/50.

I've a good mind not to water our very large lawns at all this year, not quality turf anyway. If it dies it will recover when it rains, I'm sure. Last but one bill was just under 600 euros.

But no point moaning. We need the water. We enjoy the pool and large garden for the dogs.
It's a bit like moaning about the cost of petrol/diesel, I guess. If you can't afford it, sell the car and get a bike.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Lynn R said:


> Good gracious. I don''t have a garden (just pot plants) or a pool, which obviously has a lot to do with our consumption, but we get 2-monthly bills which are always around €30, ie €15 per month.


Approx 75€ bimonthly bills here. 3 people living, garden with watering system, no lawn. We took out the 2 pretty small lawns we had and OH says the bills went down considerably.


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