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Cover of Water-Wise Gardening in South Africa: Rainwater, Greywater, Mulch and Waterwise Plants

Water-Wise Gardening in South Africa: Rainwater, Greywater, Mulch and Waterwise Plants

Hybrid Learning Solutions · e-book

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About this book

A practical, South African guide to keeping a garden alive and green on far less water, through droughts, restrictions and rising water bills, for homeowners and tenants with gardens, older people with big lawns and big bills, school and community gardeners, and anyone who wants a small income from water-wise garden work. Twelve chapters follow a teacher in Gqeberha who lived through the 2022 water crisis and now runs her garden on a rainwater tank and her family's shower water; a retired man in Bloemfontein who turns most of his thirsty lawn into waterwise beds and cuts his garden's water to about a third; and a young woman in Polokwane who starts a water-wise garden service, with advice from a Cape Town landscaper who worked through Day Zero: why South Africa is short of water, rainfall regions, restrictions and stepped tariffs, reading the meter and finding leaks, and a garden water audit; soil, compost and simple soil tests; mulch and ground cover; watering deeply, at the roots and at the right time; waterwise and indigenous plants, grouping plants by thirst, and removing invasive plants; less lawn and a better garden; harvesting rainwater, from working out what a roof collects to placing a tank safely; using greywater safely; boreholes, wellpoints and other sources; planning a water-wise garden with swales and rain gardens; food gardens on less water, with trench beds and shade cloth; and a water-wise garden service, from costing and quoting to customers and records. The law in general terms, dated, with every rule ending in check with the official source; drinking rainwater, greywater or borehole water is not taught; plumbing, pumps and boreholes are left to registered people and named plainly. 30 diagrams and photographs, worked examples, practice exercises with answers, and a garden file: a water audit, a soil and drainage test, a mulch plan, a watering schedule, a plant list by zone, a lawn plan, a rainwater plan, a greywater plan, a water source check, a garden plan, a food-garden plan, a service price list and quote, a glossary, where to get help, and 144 Exam prep questions. A Skills Series title. No brands, nurseries or suppliers are named or recommended. Lecturers: a free Facilitator Guide (session plans built around a garden file, safe garden practice, the law taught in general terms, teaching notes and every answer) is available to colleges registered with HybridE. To register your college, contact Thandeka on 073 431 6763.

What is inside

  1. Chapter 1: Water, Your Garden and Your Bill
  2. Chapter 2: Soil: the Sponge That Holds Water
  3. Chapter 3: Mulch and Ground Cover
  4. Chapter 4: Watering Wisely
  5. Chapter 5: Waterwise and Indigenous Plants
  6. Chapter 6: Less Lawn, Better Garden
  7. Chapter 7: Harvesting Rainwater
  8. Chapter 8: Using Greywater Safely
  9. Chapter 9: Boreholes, Wellpoints and Other Sources
  10. Chapter 10: Planning a Water-Wise Garden
  11. Chapter 11: Food Gardens on Less Water
  12. Chapter 12: A Water-Wise Garden Service
  13. Appendix

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