Best Way To Water Your Garden

Watering your garden is an important job. Plants need water in order survive and thrive.

Ideally you want to have happy and healthy plants using the least amount of water to help save on your water bill and conserve the precious resource.

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Here are some ideas on best practice to water effectively.

THE BEST TIME TO WATER

Something as simple as the time you water not only saves water, it is also provides greater benefit to your plants.

The best time to water is in the early morning or the evening, when cooler temperatures will greatly reduce the amount of water lost during watering through evaporation. Watering at these times will ensure better penetration into the subsoil around the root systems.

HOW TO WATER

It is not desirable to water daily, and if you have the right approach to water-wise gardening, you shouldn’t need to, (well, ok, unless you are establishing new plants in hot weather, then you will need to).

Ideally, you should water your garden deeply and less often. A good soak is much better to as it encourages deep root growth, which helps your plants resist heat stress and reduces their dependence on constant watering.

Water the soil deeply, so that the moisture levels remain even. Where possible always water the soil rather than the leaves.

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You should aim to apply around 24L per square metre every seven to ten days to keep your plants happy and healthy. Plants absorb water from the root zone which is usually 15-20cm below the soil, so aim to wet this deeply when you water.

This 24L is roughly equal to 24mm of rain. So when you hear the meteorologist tell you there has been 1-2mm of rain for the week, you still need to water, especially if the weather has been warm. The soil might look wet, but if you dig down you will see the rain has just touched the surface. However as the rain has touched the surface, it is a good idea to water, as it will help push the water down into the soil profile.

If the weather has been hot and dry for many weeks, or the soil has dried out, you may need to increase the amount and frequency you are watering in order to re-wet the soil. Re-wetting the soil ultimately uses more water than maintaining a constant watering program.

SIGNS YOU NEED TO WATER

If you are unsure you are watering your garden enough, get your hands dirty! Dig down into the soil around the roots of your plants and have a look to see if it is moist. If the area around the roots is dry, more water is required. The soil should ideally be moist, and crumbly.

A less invasive, and more obvious way to see if your garden needs more water is to examine the leaves. If you plants have a darkening leaf colour, or wilted foliage it is a sign they require more water. Some plants will wilt before they are stressed and this is a good guide for watering, for others, waiting until the leaves are wilted can be detrimental to the plants as it is a sign of stress.

WAYS TO WATER

There are many options available to help us water our gardens, and many opinions ato which are the best methods. The basic rule is that water should be applied around the roots wherever possible, so ideally you should choose a system that delivers water slowly and gently to the soil around the base of your plants.

Fixed drip systems or flexible seep hoses are a brilliant choice for efficient watering. If you are creating new garden areas it is a good idea to incorporate a drip system into your ground work. Seep hoses are more easily installed in existing gardens. Mulch can be applied over the top of both to hide them if desired. Attaching them to a timer saves time and labour, in summer you should set it to water in the early evening to avoid water loss through evaporation. Be careful you are not watering to saturation point, you can easily adjust the system to suit the seasonal rainfall. Some systems come complete with rainfall monitors that can do all this for you which is fantastic, especially if you are away on holidays!

Hoses or watering cans can be utilised very effectively, but should be used on a gentle spray rather than a high burst of pressure, which makes this method quite slow and time consuming. However, it can be very therapeutic for the gardener, and spending extra time in the garden you may see early warning signs of pest or disease and cut them off at the pass! If you can afford the time, and your garden isn’t too large, this method is certainly effective.

Sprinklers are a convenient option, particularly for lawns, but there is a risk that they can be forgotten and left to run for hours, which of course leads to massive water waste, you also lose some of the water due to evaporation.

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Reticulation systems offer convenience and are very good for watering specific areas. These should be used in conjunction with an automatic timer for maximum efficiency and minimum waste.

MAKE YOUR WATERING EFFECTIVE

The golden rule of reducing water waste in the garden is simple – mulch, mulch, mulch! Organic mulch is absolutely the best method to seal in the moisture and reducing evaporation loss from the soil. The added bonuses are weed control, improving the appearance of your garden, and adding delicious nutrients to your soil. If the ground is dry, water deeply before applying your mulch. A 7-10cm layer is ideal. You can mulch right up to the stem of the plant, just ensure it is low at this point so it doesn’t encourage collar rot – a thin layer, up to 3cm of mulch near the plant stem will remain dry enough not to cause a problem.

When planting new additions to the garden, raise the soil slightly to form a ‘moat’ around the base of the plant as this will help to prevent water run-off and direct it down towards the roots where it is needed.

If you are planting a new garden, or adding a new plant, digging through some well rotted organic matter into the soil to a spades depth or more will help retain water in the soil.

The condition of your soil has a lot to do with how much you need to water. Sandy soils don’t hold water well, and a crust may form on the surface, which can reduce water penetration. Digging through some compost will help water retention and drainage providing a more healthy soil in which your plants can grow.

In clay soils the opposite is true as the soil holds the water too well and drainage can be an issue. Heavy clay soils will require the addition of some gypsum and organic material to develop good soil structure (and hence porosity and drainage) over time. Another alternative for heavy clay soils is to grow your plants in raised beds.

Dig out any weeds, they suck moisture from the soil that your plants could be utilising.

Adding a dry tolerant ground cover to your soil can act as a living mulch and help to keep your plant roots cool.

So, to sum up, you want to water your garden deeply on a weekly basis in dry weather. Water is most effective when applied gently to the soil around the roots, and in a cool part of the day.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor