‘When’, ‘Where’, and ‘How’ of Watering
As the long cloudless months approach, watering even well established gardens becomes a necessity. There are a few things to keep in mind to help grow strong healthy plants whilst reducing water wastage.
WHEN:
Water heavily, but less often
Once your plants are established, one to two watering sessions per week are usually sufficient. Rather than watering little and often, it is much better to water fewer times a week but with plenty of water; this promotes healthy root growth as the plants search deeper for the last pockets of moisture between waterings. This means that not only do your plants become stronger and more resilient, when a watering is missed you have nice strong plants which can cope with a little stress.
Water early in the morning
When you water in the early morning less water evaporates than on hot soil during the middle of the day. This way the plants can sufficiently supply themselves with water before the day’s heat kicks in. If you are not able to water first thing, then you could water at the end of the day. However, be aware that watering in the evening does make your plants more susceptible to disease and fungal problems. To minimise the risk, try to water after the strongest heat of the day has passed, but whilst there is still enough time for leaves to dry out, and avoiding the leaves as much as possible.
WHERE
Keep leaves dry to avoid diseases
As mentioned above, wet leaves can become diseased leaves. Kept wet overnight, leaf-mould diseases may result. But conversely, leaves that are made wet in the hot sun can develop burn marks. It is better therefore to aim the water around the soil if you are using a hand held hose to water, or if installing irrigation then see if drip Irrigation or a soaker hose will suit your needs.
Distribute your watering
Continually watering at only one root point leads to one-sided root growth and thus weaker plants from poorer nutrient absorption. Instead, always water around the plant evenly.
HOW
Irrigation Systems
There are many options for watering your garden, from using a hose or watering can, through to Irrigation systems such as drip irrigation, soaker hoses, micro sprays and sprinklers. It's worth researching the different types to see what will suit your situation the best.
How to use your hose
If you are watering by hose try to use a lighter setting (such as mist) around smaller or more delicate plants. when using the shower setting invert the hose head so that you are spraying up into the air and the water droplets fall down mimicking rainfall, this is much gentler on your plants.
Also, when we are watering only once or twice a week, the soil will likely have a dry crust, and the water therefore needs a moment to seep into the soil. To prevent water from flowing away unused, it’s better to water one section then move onto another before coming back to continue watering once the first lot has soaked in.
Mulch
Adding a thick layer of mulch helps to protect the soil surface from the harsh rays of the sun, it also greatly reduces the evaporation of water below. Adding a layer of wet newspaper (6-10 pages thick) between the soil and mulch will also help to suppress weeds (just don’t paper over any seedlings you want to keep of course). Ensure you water thoroughly before mulching, and if you are using fresh woodchips on bare soil it is a good idea to add a nitrogen rich fertiliser such as Blood and Bone as the woodchips will initially draw nitrogen out of the soil as they age (this is a temporary problem and they will of course feed the nitrogen right back into the soil wand then some as they break down).
And the most important rule…. When the inevitable rain day interrupts the summer sun, give yourself the day off, you’ve earned it.