Water is of utmost importance to our gardens now, here are some best watering tips for your garden.
First, when people ask me when to water, I remind them of one of the simplest watering tips: if you think you might not have time to water later, it's best to water when you have time. In other words, don't worry about watering perfectly correctly all the time. Watering to keep your plants alive is better than not watering at all.
Meanwhile, Stacey Hirvela of Proven Winners says more people are killing their plants by overwatering than by not enough.
Let's assume you have time to water and you want to water properly. Proper watering is a balance between getting enough water in the right places and not wasting water by overwatering.
Watering a vegetable patch is a little different than watering a flower patch, shrubs, or trees.
In vegetable gardens, it is best to water directly at the base of the plants and avoid wetting the leaves. If vegetable leaves remain wet for long periods of time, they can develop mold. Some gardeners report that their plants have become infected in just one day. If mold spreads quickly, plants can go from healthy to dead in a matter of days. Tomato vines are notorious for going from healthy overnight.
At this time of year, vegetable root balls will extend about 6 inches on either side of the plant. A watering zone about 1 foot wide centered around the plant's stem is the right size for the watering area.
Oscillating sprinklers are the worst way to water a vegetable patch, even though they do the work for you. The problem is that they water the whole surface, which can leave you overwhelmed with weeds within a week. They also keep the leaves wet for too long, which can expose them to disease. If you're watering sweet corn, they're fine.
Overwatering vegetables leads to disease and plant decline, and reduces the amount of ripe vegetables. If your soil is clay, water every few days. If your soil is sandy, you should water every day. There's a notion that slightly dry stressed vegetables will have better flavor, stronger flavor. I think this is true. Remember what vegetable plants are trying to do: produce seeds and keep the family alive. Vegetable plants that are a little stressed later in the growing season will produce flavorful foods.
Flower beds are a little different than vegetable gardens when it comes to watering. Again, don't leave your plants in puddles, or the roots can rot and your flowers can die. Annuals can get diseased. My flowers, on the other hand, seem to enjoy a light spritz of water after watering their root balls; it's nice and cool in the hot, dusty late-summer weather.
There's a belief that water droplets on leaves burn when the sun hits them. This is a myth. The sun in Michigan isn't strong enough to burn leaves through water droplets. Think about how invigorating it feels to jump into a pool with your kids on a summer afternoon or run through a sprinkler.
Water newly planted cypress trees during the heat of the afternoon to keep the plants moist and reduce transplant shock. (Mark Torregrossa | MLive)
Pots and planters dry out quickly. That's why I'm not a fan of the soilless medium that most greenhouses use for their planters and hanging baskets, to avoid overwatering in the spring and causing devastating diseases in the greenhouse. But this soil creates a problem – it dries out too quickly. You can't go wrong if you water your hanging baskets or planters daily until water drips out of the drainage holes. All your planters and pots have drainage holes, right? If not, drill holes.
Whether or not you water a shrub or tree depends on how long the plant has been in the ground. During its first year in the ground, make sure your shrub or tree does not have dry soil. If your shrub or tree is planted in clay soil, watering once a week is sufficient. Remember to water about a foot away from the original root ball. This will help keep the soil around the root ball from absorbing moisture. A thick layer of compost made from last year's leaves will go a long way in helping to retain moisture in the soil. Place the compost away from the trunk, starting 3 inches away from the trunk.
Watering a cypress tree at the base of its trunk (Mark Torregrossa | Mlive)
When it comes to watering, there's no easy answer that works for everyone, but Stacey Hirvela of Proven Winners has one gadget you can use to find out if your plants need water.
The real answer to whether or not a plant needs watering is to become a gardener. Look at your plants. Is it telling you it needs water, or is it telling you it's had enough? Then you can go around your garden and water the plants that need water and leave the others alone.
