AIBU to ask you all to enjoy a better drought?

In our area the small trees have a small hollow hose that you can pour water in so it goes directly down to the roots. They also have a sign on them saying please water me. I don't know if the council water them as well.

My mums been saving washing up water to water her plants I’m surprised she not trying to find a way of saving the shower water too!

I do this too. Newly planted trees (ie planted in the last two years) are particularly vulnerable in dry weather, but even established trees are stressed at the moment and a lot have started to shed their leaves.

The hose-pipe/water bag things that many councils now fit when they plant trees make it super quick and easy to water them. No more dribbling water out next to the trunk, waiting for it to soak in before you pour a bit more out!

Yes spaffing water on trees during a drought is really a great idea. 🙄 Only grey water should be used on plants right now. Trees aren’t going to die without our dwindling potable water, their roots go deep. But there are tons of other performative bleeding heart types on MN so I suspect lots of people will agree with you and waste water in this way. What don’t people get about the fact that the water is running out? It doesn’t matter what caused it, the outcome is the same. Humans and animals cannot survive without water. Trees can manage. Also pouring water on a plant when the soil is hot actually harms it.

My husband showers whilst standing in one of those large flexible buckets with handles. Then takes outside to water the garden .
Youd be surprised by how much water you get from 1 shower .

Forest Research, an organisation dedicated to tree research, appears to disagree with you @Darragon

https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/climate-change/risks/drought/

Did you know that the vast majority of tree roots are within the top 60cm of soil? They really don't go as deep as most people think!

You're right about using grey water though.

you come across as utterly insufferable

Jesus, I wouldn’t want to get stuck in a lift with you, you’d be mansplaining (never mind what sex you actually are, you sound like a mansplainer) how we’re inevitably going to run out of oxygen..

I like the idea of showering in a bucket but I wouldnt have the strength to carry it down the stairs

Surely washing up liquids, soap, shampoos etc makes washing water bad for plants?

I was going to ask this too. My tumble dryer (I only use it for towels at this time of year before anyone jumps on me because I don’t like crispy towels!) collect the water in a reservoir in the door but I’m reluctant to put it on my plants because of the chemicals from the washing pods. Can I put it on my plants then?
Oh and the feral children and their idiot of a dad have just had a lovely screaming episode in the garden as he chased them around the garden hose. I’m in the south and in one of the most water deprived areas right now. Mind you, he filled up their large pool last year when we were on a hosepipe ban and my other neighbour was jet washing her decking 🙄 Hey ho.

If the water board fixed only the leaks they are currently aware of, it would negate the need for the hosepipe ban. They need to fix the leaky pipes. We have a section of road that has been flooded for weeks and they still haven't even blocked off the damaged pipe. It's still leaking. It's been reported god knows how many times.

That's a great idea!

True.
I have alerts from my water company and I think there was about five alerts in just a few days. The leak in my road went on for a week before it was finally ‘fixed’. Too much creaming off profits and dividends to fat cats and shareholders and not enough reinvestment into infrastructure.

Every little helps. Washing up liquid etc isn’t too bad and is better than no water at all.

Where I live we have a Tree Forum which works with the local council. It took many years of advocacy from dedicated, knowledgeable volunteers to persuade the council to adopt a tree strategy and start planting a new generation of street trees, and new trees in public green spaces. The deal is that volunteers will water and maintain them for their first few years. As a result most of the new trees planted since 2022 have survived the last few years dry spells where many areas have seen over 50% loss of saplings, which is a waste of everyone’s public money. If you can adopt a tree and give it even as little as two buckets of water a week, it makes a dramatic difference to overall survival.

Ive been out this morning and watered young trees in our local park (they have a water source on site to fill the watering can with) and I’ve chucked a bucket on the mature lime across the road from me. It all helps.

@Darragon trees counteract the impact of global warming. It’s not just ‘pleasant’ to have them, they improve the climate and address the heat sink affect of towns and cities.

Watering them, especially smaller less established ones, is definitely valuable.

In my area we don’t have a hosepipe ban, and I’ve started watering to counteract the impact on the soil. Soil health matters too, and we need to protect the organisms within it.

Generally as a family our water use is really low, we don’t waste any. But it’s worth using more to protect the natural world.

That is a very rude reply. Trees are essential.

Actually, no.

Washing up
liquid in small quantities helps break up the surface tension and water can bind better with the soil.

I water the street trees outside my house and I water shrubs and trees in my garden too. I don’t want nature to die. I have a wild life garden and newly planted fruit trees. Shut down the data centres/ planned data centres and put global warning on the polical agenda. Hopepipe bans is a like a piss in the ocean to combat water shortages.

If you shower over the bath, just put the plug in. This has a two-fold effect. Firstly you teen will realise how much water they're actually using, secondly you can use a plastic measuring jug to scope it into a bucket to water the garden. If you don't want to carry it downstairs you can use it to flush the toilet instead.

Agree about the use of grey water.

Unfortunately when it comes to sensible use of water and conserving it, many people are not interested because of the behaviour of water companies.

That’s a great idea actually. I don’t think I’ll try it but it is definitely worth taken note.

This what we’ve been doing.

I realise it’s a drop in the ocean though and really want the bloody water companies and the bloody government to get their shit together.