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Grow a beautiful garden the water wise way

Saving water and enjoying the beauty and environmental benefits of plants are not only possible, but easy says the American Association of Nurserymen (AAN). “Water Wise” gardening is built on some basic, commonsense principles:

Planning

Planning a water wise garden or landscape is as easy and fun-as planning any type of garden. Talk to the professionals at your local center/landscape firm to see which plants will do well in your area. You may be surprised to find that some very beautiful, colorful plants are low on water consumption-and they may fit into your landscape perfectly.

Group together plants that require the same amount of water. Plant trees and shrubs to provide shade to cool buildings, air conditioning units, patios, decks, and other landscape features.  Shelter container plants by moving them to shady areas. Spike or aerate lawns to insure maximum water penetration. Control weeds which compete with useful plants for water.

Soil Improvement

Soil improvement is another easy and beneficial step in building a water wise garden. Soil that is well prepared at the time of planting influences the plant’s initial development and yields the best results. And plants placed in the proper soil will be healthier, often needing less water.

Soil characteristics include texture, structure, depth, and nutrients. To find out more about your soil content, test your soil with the following garden products: Accugrow Soil Test Kit or the Sunleaves Three-Way Meter.  

Wise Irrigation

Efficient irrigation is a critical part of water wise gardening. Your irrigation system can be simple, such as a hand-held hose, or elaborate, such as an in-ground sprinkler system. Consider a drip water conservation system, which can save up to 60% of water used by sprinkler irrigation. Whatever you choose, make sure you plan your watering to get best results.

Deep, infrequent watering, promotes root growth and is the wisest use of water and encourages strong rooting. This provides greater tolerance to dry spells.  Water early in the day, and on less windy days, to reduce evaporation loss. The ideal time is from dawn to 9:00 a.m.   Turn off sprinklers before water is wasted as runoff into gutters and streets.

Mulching

Mulching is always a benefit to your garden and can help prevent soil erosion and evaporation, conserving the water that is available and keeping your plants healthy and strong.

Maintenance

Maintaining your water wise garden means learning how to water all over again. You may find that watering less means having more time to sit back and enjoy your garden. Generally, plants should be watered less often and for a long period of time. Drip, soaker, or deep root watering promotes healthy plants and less water use.

Water Wise Gardening Tips

Follow these handy watering tips from AAN, and you’ll soon be started on your own environmentally sound garden or landscape.  For garden products mentioned in this article, please visit http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com

Is tap water safe for bathing and showering is an increasingly common question as more of us realize the contamination in our supplies may not only affect us when we drink it. So just how safe is taking a shower these days?

Unfortunately not that safe anymore as we have literally thousands of toxic chemicals in the water like chlorine, weedkiller, lead and prescription drugs with samples of pesticides showing up across the country.

When you take a 20 minute shower you can absorb more toxins than by drinking 2 liters of unfiltered water as the chlorine is converted into chloroform in the vapour.

The American Journal of Public Health links chlorine to “significant increases in certain types of cancer, asthma and skin irritations…” and stated that “up to two-thirds of the harmful exposure was due to skin absorption and inhalation of chlorine in shower water”.

So in answer to the question, is tap water safe for bathing and showering, the honest answer is no.

Removing chlorine and other volatile chemicals with a quality shower filter offers great health benefits, if a whole house filter is too much. As the situation looks likely to get worse, some kind of home filter is fast becoming necessary.

The sad fact that our tap water is not safe for bathing and showering anymore shows just how bad things have become and children are especially vulnerable with studies showing that each year in the US, lead in drinking water contributes to 480,000 cases of learning disorders in children.

Some companies do make high quality shower filters as well as the regular countertop or whole house system to protect all your water. These offer the perfect solution and you will not only feel healthier but notice differences within weeks like softer hair and skin.

With the risk so great and the solution so simple, why take the chance?

Then the question of, is tap water safe for bathing and showering will not affect you as you will have the peace of mind of knowing it is safe and pure.

Visit my website today if you would like to learn more about the types of shower filtration systems that I personally recommend and use.

There are no two ways about it. That tap water is not safe for drinking, is a known fact now. But is tap water safe for bathing and showering? If you are not drinking the water, can it still cause harm to your health? Let’s find out.

Is tap water safe for bathing and showering?
To know the answer to this question, first let’s quickly go through the contaminants that you can find in tap water.

The biggest contaminant in our water is a chemical added in it to make it safe for drinking! This chemical is chlorine and is used as a disinfectant to kill the bacteria in the water. It is pretty effective too while the water lies in the reservoirs of the water company.

But what happens when this water passes through the old, rusted pipes of the distribution network? These pipes are themselves loaded with all kinds of bacteria and other germs and contaminate the water again.

When you shower in this water, you are directly exposed to all these harmful microbes. The heavy metals present in the water do not pose a risk as long as you are just using the water for showering and not drinking it without filtering.

But the chemicals like chlorine are still a threat to your health. These chemicals evaporate while you bath and then you ingest their vapors unknowingly.

Any other chemicals present in the water like pesticides and herbicides can also add to the cocktail of vaporous chemicals that you are inhaling while showering and can cause serious health problems.

So, what’s the solution?
There are two ways you can handle this risk.

One – You setup a shower filter that purifies the water while you bathe. This is a pretty effective and quick to way to purify the water supply in your bathroom. Of course, you would already have a separate water purifier in your kitchen to purify your drinking water too – Doesn’t make sense to bathe in clean water and then turn around and drink contaminated water.

Two – Instead of opting for separate filters for your bathroom and kitchen, you opt for a whole house water filter. This type of purifier is installed at the point where your house is connected to the water supply, and purifies the water at its entry point only.

The obvious advantage of this setup is – you do not need to buy separate filters for each bathroom and the kitchen. Just one filter to take care of them all is enough.

So, is tap water safe for bathing and showering? No. But you can make it safe by filtering it first. Go now and find out a good filter for your home.

Visit my website today to discover more details you need to know when it comes to choosing water purifiers for your home.

There are no two ways about it. That tap water is not safe for drinking, is a known fact now. But is tap water safe for bathing and showering? If you are not drinking the water, can it still cause harm to your health? Let’s find out.

Is tap water safe for bathing and showering?
To know the answer to this question, first let’s quickly go through the contaminants that you can find in tap water.

The biggest contaminant in our water is a chemical added in it to make it safe for drinking! This chemical is chlorine and is used as a disinfectant to kill the bacteria in the water. It is pretty effective too while the water lies in the reservoirs of the water company.

But what happens when this water passes through the old, rusted pipes of the distribution network? These pipes are themselves loaded with all kinds of bacteria and other germs and contaminate the water again.

When you shower in this water, you are directly exposed to all these harmful microbes. The heavy metals present in the water do not pose a risk as long as you are just using the water for showering and not drinking it without filtering.

But the chemicals like chlorine are still a threat to your health. These chemicals evaporate while you bath and then you ingest their vapors unknowingly.

Any other chemicals present in the water like pesticides and herbicides can also add to the cocktail of vaporous chemicals that you are inhaling while showering and can cause serious health problems.

So, what’s the solution?
There are two ways you can handle this risk.

One – You setup a shower filter that purifies the water while you bathe. This is a pretty effective and quick to way to purify the water supply in your bathroom. Of course, you would already have a separate water purifier in your kitchen to purify your drinking water too – Doesn’t make sense to bathe in clean water and then turn around and drink contaminated water.

Two – Instead of opting for separate filters for your bathroom and kitchen, you opt for a whole house water filter. This type of purifier is installed at the point where your house is connected to the water supply, and purifies the water at its entry point only.

The obvious advantage of this setup is – you do not need to buy separate filters for each bathroom and the kitchen. Just one filter to take care of them all is enough.

So, is tap water safe for bathing and showering? No. But you can make it safe by filtering it first. Go now and find out a good filter for your home.