Published on Saturday, May 17, 2025

By Victoria Torley

Someone asked me why I don’t talk about saving water. Well, I live near Arenal Volcano, where it rains a lot, but that’s not a very good excuse. So, for those gardeners who live where water can be scarce, this is for you.


There are lots of ways to save water or use less in the garden and it starts with your soil.


Sandy soil needs additives like pulverized clay or burnt earth to help it hold water. Rice husks can help as well. It also needs a lot of compost, so please make use of your veggie scraps, grass clippings, and the like.


In extremes, you can use a piece of black plastic with only a few perforations to allow drainage when it rains heavily. Dig a hole, line it with the plastic, and add soil.


Top dress your garden! Top dressing, and some people call it mulching, means that you cover the soil around the plants with organics.


Remember it’s organics, not stones. If the garden is in the sun, stones on top of your plants just heat them up and can cook the roots. Top dressing with organics means that the material will slowly compost and enrich the soil.

Level your soil so that precious rainfall doesn’t become runoff. Got a slope? Don’t level the soil, terrace it so you get the full benefit of the runoff. Thirsty plants need to be at the upper section of the slope and plants that need less water at the bottom.

Save your rain! Get rain barrels under those gutters and make sure they are free of debris. You don’t have to have mosquitoes in your barrels if you cover them with screening or drop in a ‘no mosquito’ pellet. Screening will also prevent debris build-up. This is very important if you have a tap for your hose at the bottom of the barrel.

Plant a tree! Plant six trees! Plant the kind that has deep roots and can survive dry weather. Guanacaste, cenízero, rubber trees, and medera negra come to mind, so you never have to worry about shade. And don’t forget a palm or two or that great beach almond that grows right in the sand.

Get some great native plants! Sneak into your neighbor’s yard for cuttings or pull up a couple of vines from that tangle on the beach. Want color? Get some purple fountain grass, crocosmia, or salvia, all great for the beach.

And don’t forget the cacti if you want a real water saver. Just don’t get too close...

Plant for the week. Well, I guess it has to be a cactus. This cactus is an epiphyte that just happened to be growing on a tree stump. With a little encouragement and by that I mean removing some of the competing foliage, it started to bloom repeatedly. The blossoms are orange-scented and open at night. Wonderful on the evening breeze.

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Find more interesting stories about gardening in Costa Rica on the AM Costa Rica Garden page. Questions on this article, Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached by emailing victoriatorley1@gmail.com
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