Home & Garden Green Living

Rain Barrels: Solution to the Looming Global Water Shortage Caused by Global Warming

Global warming, climate change, whatever you call it resounds as every nation's threat.
The increased land mass appearance among body of water such as lakes and rivers are testimonies of Earth's receding natural water supply.
This also serves as a wake-up call to everyone to reevaluate our water usage habits most especially during warmer seasons where water supply is always at its lowest level.
Rain barrels installation is just one way of conserving water for later usage.
For those who are into gardening, rain barrel water can do wonders to those sensitive, fuzzy and wilting plants.
Unlike treated water that comes out in faucet, rainwater doesn't contain salts, minerals and chemicals that can harm plant roots.
In fact, rainwater pushes salts away from plant roots, encouraging deeper growth and increased drought tolerance.
But little did gardeners know, layout of the garden can greatly affects the amount of water used while watering the plants.
For example, plants that has similar water needs must be grouped together and proper rows and ditching in your garden can also assist in the water reaching the desired areas and not be wasted in an area that does not need the water.
You can harvest a surprisingly large amount of rainwater from house gutters.
Just a small amount of rain probably less than half an inch can easily fill a 50-gallon rain barrel, so one can quickly start to collect enough to keep flower beds, garden or houseplants well watered.
To collect more water, one can connect several barrels with a pip or hose, or you can put barrels under more than one gutter downspout.
Aside from the fact that rain water is free and good for plants, installation of rain barrels can also save money.
Some experts estimate that lawn and garden watering make up almost 40% of total household water use during the summer; by utilizing collected rainwater, one can substantially reduce this amount.

You might also like on "Home & Garden"

Leave a reply