8 Myths to Avoid When Watering Your Plants
Watering plants isn’t an exact science. Read this article to help you understand when to and when to not water plants.
Many communities have restrictions when it comes to watering the landscape because of drought conditions or low reserves, so it pays to conserve this precious resource whenever possible. Good watering techniques, plant selections and mulching go a long way toward meeting the goal of beautiful plants and bountiful food.
Vegetable plants and annual flowers do best when given adequate moisture on a regular basis. Most of these plants need about one inch of water every week to 10 days to ensure good food and flower production. The water can be rainfall or from your spigot. The water can be applied all at once or distributed in two applications. However, infrequent, deep watering is better than frequent, shallow irrigation. If the top two inches of soil feels dry to the touch and no rain is predicted, water the plants.
Established perennials, lawns, trees and shrubs can go several weeks without watering. Newly planted lawns and plants should be given one inch of water every week to 10 days for the first two to three years.
How much water to apply varies from landscape to landscape. Soils that are rich in organic matter usually require less water than sandy soils, for instance. The goal is to water enough to ensure healthy plants, good food and flower production, and a beautiful landscape.