A product designed to help container gardeners and grow your own enthusiasts reduce their water consumption has been developed. The ‘Water Once a Week’ planter was demonstrated at the 2nd annual Edible Garden Show.
The containers have a built in water reservoir under the soil which means that they need only be watered once a week. The reservoir has a series of capillaries to take up the water which is then distributed via a dispersal mat.
This ensures that the plant receives constant moisture at optimal levels. The inclusion of overflow holes also eliminates the possibility of over watering. Furthermore, because the water is stored under the soil, it doesn’t evaporate – even in hot dry conditions.
“We were delighted by the response to our Water Once a Week containers,” comments John Williamson, Amberol’s Marketing Manager told The Landscaper “The hosepipe ban and climate change issue has quite rightly made people more aware of the need to conserve water and use it more carefully. Britain has always been a gardening nation and this way people can continue to maintain their gardens and grow their own fruit and veg without wasting water.”
Amberol’s range of water once a week containers is designed specifically to allow container gardeners to get away for a long weekend or a week’s holiday without having to involve neighbours or friends to come and water. They also allow enthusiasts to grow their own fruit and vegetables, maximising cropping yield whilst minimizing water consumption.
The containers were developed by Amberol in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University as part of the ‘Grow your own grub’ project. Trials showed that using a constant moisture system encouraged additional growth, increasing the dry weight of a lettuce crop by 14% in tests.
The Water Once a Week containers have been used by councils and landscape professionals for several years, but this is the first time that individuals and amateur gardeners have had access to the containers on such a large scale.
TEl 01773 835955
www.wateronceaweekcontainers.co.uk
See Ground Control & Irrigation in the next issue of The Landscaper