In a drought prone country like Australia, we are often looking for rain for our farms, catchments and gardens. Sometimes, it isn’t so much about saving water as making the best of water we naturally get – rain.

Whether you live in an urban or rural area, there are ways to ensure you make as much use of rain water as possible so that each rain fall helps.

·         Harvest rain water.
This one is obvious, but no less important – catch the rain water that falls on your property in a tank or dam and then use it for watering animals, crops and gardens, and possibly household uses as well.

·         Guttering.
A lot of any rain fall hits your roof and can then be harvested via your gutters and pipes in to a tank. However, if your gutters are not clean or have holes then they won’t be working effectively and some rain will be lost.
Don’t forget to add gutters to your garage, carport, cubby and garden shed, too, as they get rain on the roof.

·         Soil surface.
If the soil is dry and hard, rain may just run off and not soak in to where it can help your plants. Keep the soil broken up and/or turned over to increase how much rain is absorbed. In really dry times, this can just be done around essential plants and when rain is expected.
A similar result can be obtained by adding wetting agents to your soil and using mulch to protect the top soil surface.

·         Washing.
Whenever possible, use rain as the rinse water for large washing jobs (e.g. a car, outdoor furniture, external walls) instead of hosing them down.

·         Catch more rain.
When water is scarce, or if you are enthusiastic, why not use bowls, jugs, buckets and so on to catch some additional rain you can use on the garden or for rinsing clothes.

·         Put out the pots.
If you have plants in pots, make sure they are placed where they will catch the rain – this includes indoor plants.

·         Pools.
If your pool and spa are covered, remove the cover during rain so that you can top them up without turning on a tap. Even a small shower can be useful.

·         Paving.
All paved areas should be on a slight slope so that any rain will run off so make sure the run off water either runs into a garden or a gutter that will then take the water somewhere useful.

·         Compost.
Did you know that moist compost will break down quicker than a dry compost pile? By removing any cover over your compost during rain, you may never need to dampen the pile manually.

·         Water crystals.
By adding water crystals to your garden and plant pots, they will absorb more of the rain falling on the soil which will keep the plants happier for much longer.

·         Sensible watering.
Think before you water the garden- is it about to rain? Has it rained in the last three or four days? Does the soil look moist? Are these established plants?
If you can answer yes to such questions then it may well be you don’t need to water, so don’t!

·         Shading.
Did you know a lot of water is lost from evaporation from the ground and leaves? If plants are protected, by other plants in particular, there will be less evaporation and thus less need for additional water. So put plants closer together and use plant ground covers.

Simple techniques such as these can maximize the rain falling on your property, thereby reducing your need for tap water and the risk of severe water shortage.

Precious water is a Melbourne based company supplying rain water tanks that are flexible enough to fit under your house or decking. That way, not only do you have enough water to care for your garden, but you don't lose any garden space to the tank. precious Water tanks are made to order to fit your requirements, so visit us at www.preciouswater.com.au and ask how we can help you conserve water today.