If you have more dense plantings or larger plants, lay your hose directly on the ground near the plant so the water goes where it is needed.For a small garden, it’s fine to use a watering can, a watering wand, or a hose with a good nozzle that allows you to water right at the soil level near the plant.This could lead to foliar diseases since the foliage remains wet for extended periods of time. Water at the soil level if you can watering from above causes leaf disease. The disadvantage of using a sprinkler is that foliage is wetted by water dispersed via overhead application. When you do water, make sure that you get the soil saturated enough that the moisture percolates at least several inches down.
Start at the very beginning: Saturate each plant hole when you transplant seedlings. What you want in a healthy plant is deep root penetration, and the only way that you’re going to get deep roots is if there is water down deep. We also find it helpful to keep the following watering formula in mind: 1 inch of water per 1 square foot = 0.62 gallon. When 1 inch of water from rain or irrigation collects in the containers, that indicates that 1 inch of water was applied to the garden.Īgain, don’t just rely on the “one-inch” guideline. If the soil is dry an inch beneath the surface, your garden probably needs watering. Mark 1 inch up from the bottom of the can. To measure one inch of water, you can either purchase an inexpensive rain gauge or try this DIY trick: Place 4 or 5 small containers (straight-sided) around the garden while the water during the rainfall. A tuna can is a good container to use. So what is “one inch of water” per week? First, an inch of water is defined as a one-inch deep layer of water over the entire soil surface that needs watering. If they have come back-that is, if they look perkier-do not water. Visit your garden again in the early evening and see if the wilted plants have regained some turgidity.
Some plants go through an obvious midday slump, especially on very hot days, which is an indication of the plant’s natural adaptation to its environment. However, temporary wilting during the heat of midday does not mean that it’s time to water. Lose Your Guilt About WiltĪnother sign is that the plants may wilt and look especially droopy. Light rain showers do not build up a reserve of water in the soil. If you wait another day or two to water, you will be adding only surface water, which evaporates rapidly. The reason for this is that you want to add sufficient water at the same time to ensure penetration down to 5 or 6 inches. Just avoid the middle of the day to avoid water loss to evaporation.īelieve it or not, sometimes the best time to water is during or immediately after a rainfall, especially if the rain shower amounts only to a half-inch or so of water. However, if you can not water in the morning, watering in the evening is fine, too. It’s best to water early in the day while dew is still on the leaves so the foliage dries off by evening. See if the soil is dry an inch below the surface that suggests it needs water. But, if it barely holds together in the palm of your hand, or if the surface looks hard, baked, or cracked, it is probably dry, and it’s time to water. Feel your soil! When the soil sticks in your hand and you can form it into a ball, it is moist enough. If the plants are seedlings, water them twice a day until established.īut don’t just water without thinking. Plants do best when watered about three times a week, factoring in the rain. However, this does NOT mean watering one time per week. If your plants are in the ground (versus a pot), the general rule is that plants need one inch of water per week.
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