Watering Guide

When we are hot and tired we are not up to doing our best. Well the same goes for our plants, and hot weather and dry soils don't make for the happiest or healthiest of plants.

Providing consistent moisture is the key to keeping our young plants healthy and stress free this summer. The following tips may help make your watering efforts more effective .

• Water in the morning so moisture has a chance to soak in before the heat of the day increases evaporation. If you can’t water in the am, water late afternoon, but early enough for foliage to dry before dark. This helps prevent fungus. 
• When watering with a hose allow water to slowly trickle on shrubs and trees so moisture can soak in deeper without runoff. A stream the diameter of a pencil or slightly less should do the trick.
• Water the soil, not the plant whenever possible. This helps avoid disease on many vegetables, roses and popular perennials. It also helps saturate the soil deeper and further out, so the soil stays moist longer.
• Pay particular attention to your containers and hanging baskets as they tend to dry out quicker than plants in the ground. Check them daily.
• Check before watering as many symptoms of over-watering appear the same as under-watering. Don’t assume, check by burying your finger about 3″ into the soil. If the soil feels moist leave it alone. A moisture meter is a better means to do this.
• It is better to water deeper and less frequently than to water for short periods more often.
• Keep your beds well mulched.
• Soaker hoses are a great way to water hedges of evergreens or groups of plants. Loop soaker hoses around the trunk of the plant then on to the next plant as opposed to just running it along one side of a plant or tree. Run hoses for a couple hours twice a week.