4 ways to save water in green spaces

Water shortages will get worse in the future and water depollution consumes a lot of energy. This is why saving water is a vital issue for landscapers. Without water, no green spaces! And as we all understand the host of benefits plants contribute to urban areas, these problems become even more meaningful. To meet these needs, manufacturers have already imagined innovative solutions for landscapers. At Paysalia 2021, we saw several ways to go.

How to save water in green spaces: our guide

1st way: irrigation systems designed to save water in green spaces

Created in partnership with the SYNAA (the French National Automated Watering Trade Association), the Paysalia Village Arrosage demonstrated the significant progress made in irrigation in recent years.

Manufacturers, fitters and design engineering agencies provided hands-on solutions for water management in green spaces. To cut back on water consumption and using new technologies, managers can automate and optimize watering to match the nature of the ground, its humidity, evapotranspiration and the weather. Stopping leakages, improving pipework and drip regulation are other possibilities.

Some innovations for landscapers seen at Paysalia 2021:

• Hunter Industries and its MP Rotator®, a revolutionary sprinkler saving up to 30% more water compared to conventional nozzles.
• Plasson and its 100% watertight Series 7 compression fitting, which separates sealing and mechanical strength functions.

How to manage sustainably a resource as precious as water when watering a green space? Check out the conference by SYNAA President Pierre-Alain Madelaine.

Read SYNAA's interview

2nd way: home automation to preserve our resources

Smart connections already automate closing pool shutters or managing heat pumps. This trend - a sales argument differentiating two similar products - now has applications in watering too. Many applications facilitate watering and saving water. Parameter settings include garden usage and data from local met offices. 

Some innovations for landscapers seen at Paysalia 2021:

• Rain Bird and its two-wire ESP-LXIVM programmer featuring Smart Valve technology, which can be managed remotely from a smart phone with the iQ4 home automation system. This system can also generate alarms if problems arise.
• Solvert Toro and its Toro TEMPUS programmer for home owners saves water with the Tempus application, enabling flexible watering cycles programmable by smart phones and tablets.

3rd way: new-generation substrates 

Another interesting solution for saving water in green spaces is to optimize the soil in which the plants are planted using a retention substrate which releases the water gradually. This system considerably reduces the amount of water needed and watering frequency. The manufacturers mainly use mineral products like volcanic rock micropellets which also enhance plant growth.

Some innovations for landscapers seen at Paysalia 2021:

• Berger World and its Green Water 100% biodegradable, acrylamide-free water retainer, effective up to 5 years in the ground, reduces by 80% the need for water.
• Cactus Agrilene innovation Florilene, made from volcanic rock lava which absorbs up to 90% of water, regularizes root growth, preventing plants from strangling each other.

4th way: depollute rain and run-off water

Saving water is not just a matter of more logical usage but also cleaning rain and run-off water to prevent water table contamination. Sustainable rain water management solutions are gradually developed by manufacturers who have created passive, maintenance-free depollution techniques. 

Some innovations for landscapers seen at Paysalia 2021:

• PUM’s Geoclean technical aquatextile designed to fix and treat hydrocarbon pollution which infiltrates the ground and degrades water quality and the aquifers.
• Amarande Industries’ AMTER depolluting geotextile, runner-up in the Paysalia Innovations Awards 2021. See our interview for more details about this product.

Read Amarande Industries' interview
 

immediate effect. However, there exists another way to achieve sustainable water management in green spaces. Because water and gardens come naturally together, landscapers can redesign water circuits, facilitate water collection and use plants that consume less water.

© Photo credit: DG Photostock / Adobe Stock