Watering Tips

It seems that we are constantly being reminded that the world’s supply of water is waning and that we should all be making an effort to conserve our precious supply. Here are a few tips that can help us do just that.

Garden Beds

  • Water deeply and less often. This encourages roots to go deep into the soil in search of moisture.
  • Water in the early morning or the evening to prevent loss of water through evaporation.
  • Locate plants wisely – group plants with similar water needs together.
  • Use soaker hoses in perennial beds and shrub borders – this system uses 50% less water than an overhead sprinkler and does the same job.
  • If you do use a sprinkler, position it so that you are not watering paved surfaces (e.g. driveways, sidewalks, patios, etc…)
  • Mulch your planting; mulch helps to keep plant roots cooler and moister for longer periods of time between waterings. Good mulches include homemade compost, mushroom manure, shredded bark mulch, leaves, etc…

Watering New Plantings

  • When installing new plants in the landscape:
  • Soak rootballs thoroughly before planting.
  • Once plants have been placed in prepared planting holes fill with soil halfway up around the rootball, lightly tamp down soil to remove air pockets, water well and allow water to drain away.
  • Finish filling up the hole with soil, tamp down and water again.
  • Thereafter make sure new plantings are kept moist (but not overly wet) especially during hot, dry periods in summer and early fall.
  • Plants will be well established after about 2 years and watering will be less of a concern.

Watering Lawns

  • Water deeply and less often so that roots are forced to grow deep into the soil in search of moisture.
  • Water early in the morning. Midday watering can waste water through evaporation and night watering may promote disease.
  • To improve water penetration, aerate your lawn at least once a year.
  • Keep your lawn mowed high (5-7.6cm [2-3”]). This helps shade the crown of the grass plants during hot weather.
  • Step on the grass. If the blades don’t spring back from your footprint it’s time to water.
  • To stay green in the summer your lawn requires only 2.5cm (1”) of water a week. You can apply this amount in about one hour of sprinkling.

*Take Note: The Tuna Can Test
To see how your sprinkler delivers water to your lawn place several low tin cans under it at regular intervals close to and as far as the sprinkler reaches. Turn on the water and note how long it takes to fill a container with 2.5cm (1”) of water. You’ll also notice that not all the cans fill up at the same time. You may have to overlap sprinkler coverage so that all areas of the lawn receive approximately the same amount of water.

Water your lawn in two short cycles rather than one long one. By splitting your watering into two equal intervals about an hour apart you will reduce runoff and allow water to penetrate more deeply.

If your lawn is well established and you have encouraged deep root growth you can stop sprinkling in summer and allow the lawn to take a ‘rest’ (go dormant). It will turn golden brown but quickly greens up again when temperatures cool and fall rains begin.

Reduce the size of or completely remove your lawn and replace it with more patio or decking. There are also alternate choices of low growing plants that can be used as lawn substitutes.

Lawn Substitutes

Sun

  • Creeping Thymes (Thymus var.)
  • Golden Birds-foot (Lotus corniculatus)
  • Rupturewort (Herniaria glabra)
  • Creeping Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
  • Creeping Mazus (Mazus reptans)
  • Blue and White Star Creeper (Isotoma & Pratia)

Shade

  • Carpet Bugle (Ajuga)
  • Brass Buttons (Leptinella)
  • Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii)
  • Scotch and Irish Moss (Sagina)

*Take Note: For a truly easy care, tough, drought tolerant emerald green lawn plant White Clover. Perfect for slopes. Hardly ever needs mowing.

Watering Newly Installed Lawns

Newly installed lawns whether from seed or turf need to be kept moist at all times until well established.

Seed Lawns
After sowing seed thoroughly soak the lawn area (if there is no rain to do this for you) to a soil depth of 15cm (6”).

After that lightly sprinkle the area as often as 3-4 times daily until the young grass is established.

Sod Lawns
Once the sod had been laid water it thoroughly. The soil underneath should be wet to a depth of 15-20cm (6-8”).

After that make sure the underlying soil stays moist for at least the first two weeks after planting.

Since the edges of the sod strips and pieces along sidewalks and driveways are the first to dry out they may need spot watering everyday, especially during hot, dry weather.

Watering Containers and Hanging Baskets
By the time the plants grown in summer containers and hanging baskets are in full bloom there is such a mass of thirsty roots that proper watering is imperative. Plants in pots and particularly those in hanging baskets that dry out to the point of wilting may never recover completely and look tatty and bedraggled for the rest of the summer.

KEEP THEM WELL WATERED

  • Never let containers and hanging baskets dry out completely.
  • Water hanging baskets until you can see the water dripping vigorously from the bottom of the basket.
  • During hot weather you may need to water at least twice a day!
  • If planters or hanging baskets are under cover and not exposed to rainfall you need to water them yourself.