Higher Levels of Fluoride Found To Be Linked With ADHD In Children

There is overwhelming evidence that the prolonged ingestion of fluoride causes significant damage to health and particularly to the nervous system. According to University of Toronto and York University researchers, higher levels of fluoride during pregnancy have now been linked with more ADHD-like symptoms in school-age children.

Fluoride can be toxic by ingesting one part per million (ppm), and the effects are not immediate, as they can take 20 years or more to become evident.

"Our findings are consistent with a growing body of evidence suggesting that the growing fetal nervous system may be negatively affected by higher levels of fluoride exposure," said Dr. Morteza Bashash, the study's lead author and researcher at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

The study, "Prenatal Fluoride Exposure and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms in Children at 6-12 Years of Age in Mexico City," published in Environment International, analyzed data from 213 mother-child pairs in Mexico City that were part of the Early Life Exposures in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) project, which recruited pregnant women from 1994 to 2005 and has continued to follow the women and their children ever since.

Tap water and dental products have been fluoridated in communities in Canada and the United States (as well as milk and table salt in some other countries) by varying amounts for more than 60 years to prevent cavities. These assumptions were later dismissed by hundreds of scientific publications which showed that internal consumption of fluoridated water had no effect on tooth decay. 

In recent years, fierce debate over the safety of water fluoridation -- particularly for children's developing brains -- has fueled researchers to explore the issue and provide evidence to inform national drinking water standards.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says dental fluorosis is highest among adolescents between the ages of 12 an 15. One reason for the increase in fluorosis: Americans are now exposed to fluoride from a variety of sources, including toothpaste, mouth rinses and prescription supplements, the Department of Health and Human Services says.

Fluoride was found to be an equivocal carcinogen by the National Cancer Institute Toxicological Program."In point of fact, fluoride causes more human cancer death, and causes it faster than any other chemical," stated Dr. Dean Burk PhD who spent over three decades with the national cancer institute. 

A study published in Neurologia showed "the prolonged ingestion of fluoride may cause significant damage to health and particularly to the nervous system." That was the conclusion by a review of studies by researchers Valdez-Jimenez, et al.

“Fluoridation is no longer effective,” contends Hardy Limeback, head of the preventive dentistry program at the University of Toronto, who says adding the chemical to water is “more harmful than beneficial.” 

Researchers suspect a connection to cancer because half of ingested fluoride is deposited in bones, and fluoride stimulates growth in the end of bones, where osteosarcoma occurs.

Most developed nations do not fluoridate their water. In western Europe, for example, only 3% of the population consumes fluoridated water. Only 11 countries in the world have more than 50% of their population drinking fluoridated water: Australia (80%), Brunei (95%); Chile (70%), Guyana (62%), Hong Kong (100%), the Irish Republic (73%), Israel (70%), Malaysia (75%), New Zealand (62%), Singapore (100%), and the United States (64%). In total, 377,655,000 million people worldwide drink artificially fluoridated water. This represents 5% of the world’s population.

The research team for the EI study include experts from the University of Toronto, York University, the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico, University of Michigan, Indiana University, the University of Washington and Harvard School of Public Health -- analyzed urine samples that had been obtained from mothers during pregnancy and from their children between six and 12 years of age to reconstruct personal measures of fluoride exposure for both mother and child.

The researchers then analyzed how levels of fluoride in urine related to the child's performance on a variety of tests and questionnaires that measure inattention and hyperactivity, and provide overall scores related to ADHD. Analyses were adjusted for other factors known to impact neurodevelopment, such as gestational age at birth, birthweight, birth order, sex, maternal marital status, smoking history, age at delivery, education, socioeconomic status and lead exposure.

"Our findings show that children with elevated prenatal exposure to fluoride were more likely to show symptoms of ADHD as reported by parents. Prenatal fluoride exposure was more strongly associated with inattentive behaviors and cognitive problems, but not with hyperactivity," said Bashash.

This work builds off of previous research the team published on this population demonstrating that higher levels of urine fluoride during pregnancy are associated with lower scores on tests of IQ and cognition in the school-age children.

ADHD is the most common psychiatric disorder diagnosed in childhood, affecting between five and nine per cent of all school-aged children.

"The symptoms of ADHD often persist into adulthood and can be impairing in daily life," said Christine Till, Associate Professor of Psychology at York University and co-author on the study.

"If we can understand the reasons behind this association, we can then begin to develop preventive strategies to mitigate the risk," said Till, who is also the principal investigator of another National Institutes of Health-funded grant examining fluoride exposure in a large Canadian sample of pregnant women.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), funded this study.

This article first appeared in Prevent Disease

Only One Liquid Is Necessary To Control Weight and Reduce Sugar, Sodium and Fat

For people who want to control their weight or reduce their intakes of sugar, sodium and saturated fat, water may be the answer.

A new study that examined the dietary habits of more than 18,300 U.S. adults found the majority of people who increased their consumption of water by 1 percent reduced their total daily calorie intake as well as their consumption of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol. The study was published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.

People who increased their consumption of water by one, two or three cups daily decreased their total energy intake by 68 to 205 calories daily and their sodium intake by 78 to 235 milligrams, according to a paper by University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Ruopeng An. They also consumed 5 grams to nearly 18 grams less sugar and decreased their cholesterol consumption by 7 to 21 milligrams daily.

"The impact of plain water intake on diet was similar across race/ethnicity, education and income levels and body weight status," An said. "This finding indicates that it might be sufficient to design and deliver universal nutrition interventions and education campaigns that promote plain water consumption in replacement of beverages with calories in diverse population subgroups without profound concerns about message and strategy customization."

An examined data from four waves (2005-12) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Participants were asked to recall everything they ate or drank over the course of two days that were three to 10 days apart.

An calculated the amount of plain water each person consumed as a percentage of their daily dietary water intake from food and beverages combined. Beverages such as unsweetened black tea, herbal tea and coffee were not counted as sources of plain water, but their water content was included in An's calculations of participants' total dietary water consumption.

On average, participants consumed about 4.2 cups of plain water on a daily basis, accounting for slightly more than 30 percent of their total dietary water intake. Participants' average calorie intake was 2,157 calories, including 125 calories from sugar-sweetened beverages and 432 calories from discretionary foods, which are low-nutrition, calorie-dense foods such as desserts, pastries and snack mixes that add variety to but are not necessary for a healthy diet.

A small but statistically significant 1 percent increase in participants' daily consumption of plain water was associated with an 8.6-calorie decrease in daily energy intake, as well as slight reductions in participants' intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and discretionary foods along with their consumption of fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol.

While An found that the decreases were greater among men and among young and middle-aged adults, he suggested they could have been associated with these groups' higher daily calorie intakes.

How do you know you are dehydrated?
People generally refer to dehydration as a reduction in body water below normal levels. The first thing you'll probably experience is thirst. There is not a real precise relationship to how thirsty you feel and how dehydrated you are. Usually when you get the sensation of thirst, you're already somewhat dehydrated. You may get a headache. You may feel dryness of the mouth. If you are exercising or changing posture, you could feel dizzy. If you are in hot weather or exercising in the heat, you may feel hotter. Your skin may feel warmer. You would be urinating less frequently and smaller volumes, so your urine would be dark in color because it would be more concentrated.

There is also some evidence that both your physical and mental performance capabilities decrease as a result of dehydration. You may not be as sharp in terms of some of the types of complex cognitive functions that you have to do. So there are a variety of symptoms.

How can dehydration affect one's health?
Acute dehydration will increase your risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. [Heat exhaustion causes heavy sweating, fainting and vomiting, and heat stroke occurs when the body temperature rises to 106F or above.] Although it is not as well studied, there is evidence that shows that chronic dehydration can have a variety of different affects on chronic diseases, including urinary tract infections, and kidney stones and gallstones. Some evidence indicates that dehydration may be related to susceptibility to bladder and colon cancer. But that evidence is not real strong.

What are common causes of dehydration?
Many types of stress will cause under-drinking and lead to dehydration. Heat exposure and exercise are common causes. When you exercise, a normal response is to sweat to regulate your body temperature. You lose body water because you sweat more. And if you're exercising in hot weather, you have a greater requirement for sweating because you depend more on evaporation of sweat for body cooling. As a result, people can become dehydrated from physical exercise, particularly physical exercise in the heat.

People can become dehydrated in other ways as well. One other way is through medications. For example, blood pressure drugs such as diuretics are dehydrating because they work by decreasing your total body water.

It's also common to see dehydration as a result of diarrhea and vomiting.

How much water does one need in a day?
How much water you need in a day varies. It depends on a lot of factors: age, activity level, the environment you're exposed to.

For a normal healthy person, generally within reason, short-term under-consumption is not too much of a problem, unless you're physically active, because your kidneys will act to reduce your urine output to conserve water. Likewise, you don't have to worry about taking in too much fluid because your kidneys will remove what you don't need. Over-consumption can become a problem, however, during prolonged exercise (several hours) because urine output is reduced.

For healthy adults, if you're expending about 3,000 calories a day, the minimal amount you should take in would be about three quarts of water a day, roughly three liters. It doesn't matter if the water is contained in food or beverages.

For a very active person in very hot weather, such as an agricultural worker or maybe a soldier out in the field in hot weather, the requirements could be substantially higher. The government is going to be putting out some guidelines about this later in the year.

Who is particularly at risk for dehydration?
There is some evidence that children may be more susceptible to dehydration and that the adverse consequences may be more marked. The elderly and people who are sick are at risk because of their health. The elderly tend to under-drink anyway.

The physically active populations are also at risk. When you dehydrate, the thermal and cardiovascular benefits you get from adjusting to a high temperature, and high physical fitness, are greatly compromised. So these very fit people who go out and run hard, but decide they're not going to drink for whatever reason, lose these advantages during exercise.

At what point do electrolytes need to be replaced?
It depends. If you have diarrhea or vomiting, you can lose an awful lot of mineral electrolytes, so you should replace them right away. If you're performing exercise in temperate conditions for less than two hours, it may not matter. But if you're exercising in the heat, you probably want to start replacing electrolytes relatively soon.

The general rule of thumb is if you're exercising and having high sweat rates for any prolonged period -- let's say over an hour -- you probably then want to replace the electrolytes at a rate proportionate to what you're losing. Sports drinks contain electrolytes in concentrations proportionate to what is lost in sweat by a moderately trained athlete.

Should people replace electrolytes with a sports drink?
The National Academy of Sciences has looked at sports drinks, and they have their place. I think that it's fair to say that sometimes they're better than water and sometimes they're not. When you are doing high intensity exercise of a prolonged nature, the carbohydrates and the electrolytes sports drinks have can provide advantages. Because they contain sodium, they stimulate thirst and make it easier to hold the water that you ingest, and they provide the energy that's needed to sustain physical exercise. Athletes participating in hot weather training should consider their use.

But for the average person maybe just going out and playing a game of tennis or something like that, replacing carbohydrates and electrolytes is probably not a concern.

How can you monitor your hydration status?
One ways to check hydration is by monitoring your body weight. Generally, if you take your body weight every morning, it is relatively constant. If you take your body weight and it's down all of a sudden a lot one morning, you're probably dehydrated.

Another thing that you can do is monitor your urinary habits. If you're urinating more frequently than usual, and if it's relatively clear, you're probably very well hydrated. If you're urinating infrequently and it's dark, you're probably dehydrated. But there is no precise relationship between urine color and dehydration.

How can people who exercise avoid dehydration?
First of all, you should drink a nice tall glass of fluid maybe an hour before you exercise. If you're still thirsty have another one so that you have some idea that you're starting out hydrated. You want to stay away from carbonated beverages and those with high fructose because they can give people GI problems.

But overall, once you're post-exercise, drink whatever you want. If it's liquid, it's probably pretty good. An important point is that most people fully rehydrate their bodies at mealtime. So if you're concerned about hydration, one of the worst things you can do is skip meals. It's important that you have standardized meals in a comfortable environment with plenty of fluids available.


This first appeared in Prevent Disease

15 Facts Most People Don't Know About Fluoride

Advocates of fluoride say its use in municipal water systems poses no adverse health concerns, however results from investigations clearly state the opposite. There has been considerable research done on fluoride regarding cancer, birth defects, and risks to the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary systems, however, very little has been done on its neurological effects. There are now serious facts and health risks regarding fluoridation which can no longer be ignored and the practice itself is being questioned by most of the world.

1. Fluoride Is A Carcinogen

Fluoride was found to be an equivocal carcinogen by the National Cancer Institute Toxicological Program.[1]
Further studies by the New Jersey Department of Health have now confirmed a 6.9 fold increase in bone cancer in young males.[2]
Earlier studies had found a 5% increase in all types of cancers in fluoridated communities.[3]

"In point of fact, fluoride causes more human cancer death, and causes it faster than any other chemical," stated Dr. Dean Burk PhD who spent over three decades with the national cancer institute.

Researchers suspect a connection to cancer because half of ingested fluoride is deposited in bones, and fluoride stimulates growth in the end of bones, where osteosarcoma occurs.

 

2. Most Developed Countries Do Not Fluoridate Their Water

Most developed nations do not fluoridate their water. In western Europe, for example, only 3% of the population consumes fluoridated water. Only 11 countries in the world have more than 50% of their population drinking fluoridated water: Australia (80%), Brunei (95%); Chile (70%), Guyana (62%), Hong Kong (100%), the Irish Republic (73%), Israel (70%), Malaysia (75%), New Zealand (62%), Singapore (100%), and the United States (64%). In total, 377,655,000 million people worldwide drink artificially fluoridated water. This represents 5% of the world’s population.

3. Fluoride Increases Hip Fractures

Drinking fluoridated water will double the number of hip fractures for both older men and women.[4, 5]
Extremely low levels of water fluoridation 0.1 ppm still produced statistically significant increased hip fractures. (Bordeaux Study JAMA 1994)
4. Fluoridated Countries Do Not Have Less Tooth Decay Than Non-Fluoridated Countries

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no discernible difference in tooth decay between developed countries that fluoridate their water and those that do not. The decline in tooth decay the US has experienced over the last 60 years, which is often attributed to fluoridated water, has likewise occurred in all developed countries (most of which do not fluoridate their water). What the CDC always fails to mention is that tooth decay rates have “precipitously declined” in all western countries, irrespective of whether the country ever fluoridated its water. Indeed, most western countries do not fluoridate their water and yet their tooth decay rates have declined at the same rate as the U.S. and other fluoridated countries.

No correlation was found between the level of fluoride in water and dental caries.[7, 8, 9, 10, 11] There also appears to be a genetically related increase in tooth decay for Hispanics, Indians, Native Americans and Asians. Decay is largely related to the educational and economic level of the parents. [12]

“Fluoridation is no longer effective,” contends Hardy Limeback, head of the preventive dentistry program at the University of Toronto, who says adding the chemical to water is “more harmful than beneficial.”

5. Fluoridated Water Affects IQ and Neurobehavioral Development in Children

Although fluoride has been proven to cause neurotoxicity in animal models, very little published research has elaborated on acute fluoride poisoning and neurotoxicity in adults and children. A report in a peer-reviewed open access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies to investigate the effects of increased fluoride exposure and delayed neurobehavioral development.

A study published in Neurologia showed "the prolonged ingestion of fluoride may cause significant damage to health and particularly to the nervous system." That was the conclusion by a review of studies by researchers Valdez-Jimenez, et al.

Researchers Anna L. Choi, Guifan Sun, Ying Zhang and Philippe Grandjean researched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Water Resources Abstracts, and TOXNET databases through 2011 for eligible studies.

The standardized weighted mean difference in IQ score between exposed and reference populations showed that populations in high fluoride areas had significantly lower IQ scores than those who lived in low fluoride areas.

6. Fluoride Increases Infertility

Infertility in women was found to increase with water fluoridation. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists reported a close correlation between decreasing total fertility rates in women between ages of 10 and 49, and increasing fluoride levels.
They also reported that a review of all of the animal studies done to date shows that fluoride adversely affects fertility in most animal species.[6]

7. Fluoridation is Not a “Natural” Process and Fluoride is NOT A NUTRIENT

Fluoride is naturally occurring in some areas, leading to high levels in certain water supplies “naturally.” Fluoridation advocates often use this to support its safety, however naturally occurring substances are not automatically safe (think of arsenic, for instance).

Further, the fluoride added to most water supplies is not the naturally occurring variety but rather fluorosilicic acid, which is captured in air pollution control devices of the phosphate fertilizer industry. As FAN reported:

“This captured fluoride acid is the most contaminated chemical added to public water supplies, and may impose additional risks to those presented by natural fluorides. These risks include a possible cancer hazard from the acid’s elevated arsenic content, and a possible neurotoxic hazard from the acid’s ability--under some conditions--to increase the erosion of lead from old pipes.”

The term “fluoride supplement” is a misnomer as it implies that the product is a dietary supplement, like calcium and other nutrients. Fluoride, however, is not a nutrient. A nutrient is something the body has a physiological demand for--they’re not optional; we need them.
The term “fluoride supplement” is also a misnomer because most dietary supplements can be purchased over the counter (i.e., without a prescription). Fluoride supplements, however, cannot be purchased over the counter; they are only available by prescription from either a licensed dentist or doctor.

8. Fluoride Increases Fluorosis

Fluorosis is a defect of tooth enamel caused by too much fluoride intake during the first 8 years of life. Opaque white spots and brown ugly teeth are caused by fluoride. Fluorosis currently affects one out of five or more children in this nation although it is rarely seen in California.
California is the least fluoridated state with less than 16% of the population drinking artificially fluoridated water.

Common causes of fluorosis include: fluoridated drinking water (particularly during infancy), ingestion of fluoride toothpaste, use of fluoride tablets, and consumption of processed foods made with fluoridated water.

9. Fluoride Calcifies The Pineal Gland

A British researcher found that the cells in the pineal gland (a gland that contains calcified deposits that accumulate fluoride) were just as susceptible to fluoride-induced toxicity as the tooth-forming cells. Unlike the teeth, however, the pineal gland cannot be seen by the naked eye. As noted by the researcher, “The safety of the use of fluorides ultimately rests on the assumption that the developing enamel organ is most sensitive to the toxic effects of fluoride. The results from this study suggest that-the pinealocytes may be as susceptible to fluoride as the developing enamel organ.” The pineal controls your inner clock, provides good sleep, works with your adrenal glands to handle stress, keeps the thymus gland fed and cared for, and communicates 24/7 with the rest of the endocrine system about how things are going.

10. Fluoride Is NOT APPROVED By The FDA

As the FDA has long recognized, fluoride is not necessary to human health or development. When used to prevent disease, therefore, the FDA considers fluoride to be a drug.

1. FDA has never approved a fluoride supplement as safe and effective.
2. FDA has rejected two fluoride supplements (Enziflur & prenatal fluoride)
3. FDA gave false information to Congress in 2000 by stating FDA “never rejected” a fluoride supplement.

11. Fluoride Is Highly Toxic, Yet It is The Drug Added To Public Water

Fluoride is added to drinking water to prevent a disease (tooth decay), and as such becomes a medicine by FDA definition. While proponents claim this is no different than adding vitamin D to milk, fluoride is not an essential nutrient. Many European nations have rejected fluoride for the very reason that delivering medication via the water supply would be inappropriate. Water fluoridation is a form of mass medication that denies you the right to informed consent.

The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology has classified Fluoride as an unapproved dental medicament due to its high toxicity.

12. Most people are overexposed to fluoride due to the pesticide cryolite found in consumption of grape products, particularly white grapes, grown in the U.S

Many juice drinks that are not labeled as “grape juice” use grape juice as a filler ingredient. The use of cryolite thus contaminates many juices with fluoride.

Cryolite is also allowed to be added to the following products (although it is unclear how many producers actually do so, and what the resulting fluoride levels are):

Apricot, Broccoli, Brussels Sprout, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Citrus fruit, Collards, Eggplant, Kale, Kiwifruit, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Melon, Nectarine, Peach, Pepper, Plum, Pumpkin, Squash (summer & winter), Tomato, and a number of Berries (Blackberry, Blueberry (huckleberry) Boysenberry, Cranberry, Dewberry, Loganberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Youngberry).

The key way to avoid exposure to fluoride from cryolite is to avoid buying non-organic grape products, particularly beverages made out of white grapes.

13. USDA Organic Has Allowed Fluoride To Contaminate The Organic Label


Fluoride is a persistent and non-degradable poison that accumulates in soil, plants, wildlife, and humans. Many organic farmers may be unaware that this highly toxic substance has been allowed for use in the National Organic Standards (NOS) program, because its presence is hidden. However, it is allowed as Sodium Fluoride tucked away in the US EPA List 4 Inerts ("Inerts which have sufficient data to substantiate they can be used safely in pesticide products, according to EPA."), which are allowed for use in the NOS. It is also allowed in Bone Meal (which can contain 1000 ppm - or more- fluoride), also included in US EPA List 4 Inerts ("Inerts generally regarded as safe, i.e., corn cobs and cookie crumbs," according to EPA).

14. Fluoride Is Linked To The Leading Cause of Death

Depending on the country, cardiovascular disease is typically either the number one or two cause of death. A study published in Nuclear Medicine Communications Journal has concluded that increased uptake of fluoride in arteries may be associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.

15. Most Teas At Grocery Retailers Contain Toxic Levels of Fluoride

Drinking cheaper tea blends found at major grocery retailers can increase the level of people's fluoride intake to toxic levels and put them at increased risk of skeletal and dental illnesses, a University of Derby found. The study is published in journal Food Research International.


Academic Sources:
1. Bucher, et. al., Results and conclusions of the National Toxicology Program's rodent carcinogenicity studies with sodium fluoride, Int J Cancer, 1991 Jul 9;48(5):733-7.
2. Cohn, Perry D. Ph.D. An Epidemiological Report on Drinking Water Fluoridation and Osteosarcoma in Young Males New Jersey Department of Health, Environmental Health Service, Trenton NJ November 8, 1992

3 . Yiamouyiannis, J.A. and Dean Burk, "Fluoridation and Cancer: Age Dependence of Cancer Mortality Related to Artificial Fluoridation," Fluoride, Vol. 10 #3 (102-123) 1977

4. Hip Fracture rates related to Fluoridated water Journal of the American Medical Association 264(4):500-502 1990

5. J. C. Robins and J. L. Ambrus, "Studies on Osteoporosis IX. Effect of Fluoride on Steroid Induced Osteoporosis," Research Communications in Chemical Pathology and Pharmacology, Volume 37, No. 3, pp. 453-461 (1982)

6. Freni SC, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 42:109-121, 1994

7. Diesendorf M. Tooth Decay not related to fluoride intake from water Nature Vol. 322 10 July 1986

8. Colquhoun J. Tooth Decay related to economics of family American Laboratory 17:98-109 1985

9. Colquhoun J. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology 13:37-41 1985

10. Dr. John Yiamouyiannis statement both in his book (Fluoride the Aging Factor" pub Health Action Press 2nd ed. 1986 )and during debates has not been challenged by the ADA or others.

11. Ziegelbecker D. Fluoride 14; 123-128 1981

12. Steelink and Jones Fluoride in the Municipal Water of Tucson related to diet and ethnic origin International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology March 95

13. Colquhoun J. Fluoride Vol. 23 #3 July 90

14. Colquhoun J. Community Health Studies 11:85-90 1987
Web Sources:
mercola.com
fluoridealert.org
Dr. Marianna Pochelli is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine specializing in the treatment of disease through superfoods and herbal strategies. She actively promotes detoxification, colon cleansing, and a vegetarian lifestyle using living foods as a platform to health.

This article first appeared in Prevent Disease

Water Water Everywhere and not a drop to Drink

5 Things for Water Sustainability and Home Gardening

We are all aware of the drought in California and the long term implications of water. This is an article on what every family can do to be water and food sustainable.   Today most of us can get water at the turn of a faucet.. and it is cheap.  But if you have a choice consider and incorporate these 5 things to be more water thrifty.

Get Started by doing SOMETHING.....

1.  The number one thing you can do (if you are trying to grow anything) is Cover the Ground and mulch over it.  Since we like to grow veggies AND flowers we keep many of our veggies in  a series of raised beds with a fine mesh screen on the bottom to keep critters out and much on top.   Our flower gardens are full of pretty flower beds in the ground with ground cloth and mulch.  We improve the flower bed soil under the ground cloth by pulling it back from time to time and laying on compost and digging in a perlite, water pearl mix and beneficial bacteria along with rotted horse manure.  We  then recovering it and add bark on top  This saves water and catches nutrients.  We also use a LOT of mulch on our raised beds since these tend to dry out quicker.

Strawberries with a perlite top dressing
that we will dig  and water Pearls

2.  Pick a water thrifty Medium.  This is a somewhat new idea to gardeners but is becoming de facto in the West.  Amend soil with a  medium like Perlite  (which is organic) and water pearls (also organic) and then add a top dressing of micro nutrients benefical bacteria that will grow and multiply in the soil.  We use this at Castle Gardener.    Not only is it less expensive than buying organic compost or dirt but the pearls in it retain water and the perlite itself is naturally porous so your nutrients and organic micro bacteria have a nice place to take up residence. The Result?  you use less water and your plants eat better.

If you mix it into your garden soil it is works great and is fine with your worms.   We use a greater concentration of perlite in our raised beds to increase yield (cuz it holds nutrients) so be aware there is a point where your additives can make the soil non worm friendly.   In our flower gardens we dig it in.   In fact dig it in everywhere in your gardens to improve soil and save water.

You can cover these tanks with fence sections
These tanks are about 24 inches thick

3.  Rain Water Collection. A 4X 6 raised bed garden can provide all the veggies two people need.  A collection of 10 pots along a wall can provide fruit trees or berry bushes.   In general you need 2 gallons of water a week per square foot of surface area.

So... if you do the math you need 2500 gallons for the raised bed and 1000 gallons for the pots.   While that may seem like a lot.  If you have a good rain water collection system it is easy.    
Out in the west or in Australia you see a lot of WaterWall systems... (or a bunch of  bunch of rain tanks work too but take a lot of room)....  A 1000 square foot roof can collect approximately 620 gallons of water in a 1 inch rainfall.  Each WaterWall piece contains 650 gallons, is about 1 foot think and 6 feet tall and can be lined up to make a wall or tucked along the side of your garage.   Make a fence of them...get creative..  Fence panels can attach right to them if you don't want to look at them.... 
    

4.  Become a drip expert.  Enough said.. Drip is EASY... the timers are cheap and they all hook right to water barrels.     

5.  Create a permanent Water retention plan for your property.   Don't let rainwater roll away or go down sewers.  Make driveways and patios  permeable with pavers and gravel, have drip edges on the sides of your house that channel water to low spots where it can infiltrate and seep back into groundwater.   The MOST inefficient and waste of water is letting it run into a storm drain... picking up oils and toxins along the way.    


Check back for our NEXT article:  What you can do in your home to save water...

_______________


Follow the Castle Gardener.   Perfecting permaculture and organic practices that are NO WORK and can be done by a farm girl with painted nails..