Hot, dry and often windy summer days can be hard on us and our flowers, lawn, trees and shrubs too. When rainfalls seem to be far and few between, it is important to make sure your plants have enough water to help them weather those hot, sunny days.
Water in the morning rather than the afternoon when you can. This tip is great for all kinds of plants, but especially annual containers and baskets. Annuals can really suffer if they are already dry in the morning and have to make it through a hot and windy day. Morning watering ensures they have enough moisture to get through the day and can avoid extra stress. On extremely hot days be sure to check in the afternoon too because your plants may need another drink.
Minimize runoff. If the water is flowing away from the plant more than it is going into the soil take a break. Let the water soak into the soil first then water more as needed.
A slow soak is best! Infrequent and deep watering are best for most plants, tree and shrubs. Watering with this in mind helps plant roots reach out into the surrounding soil for moisture while frequent, shallow watering maybe gets the top couple inches wet and “trains” the roots to only look for water there. Roots that spread out further also provide more stability for larger plants too. Tree bags are an easy way to provide a slow soak!
About 1″ a week is a good guidelines for established lawns. Don’t forget to count rainfall too. Water your lawn early in the day when temps are cooler and it is less windy. More of the watered sprinkled will get down to the soil rather than evaporating in the wind and heat of the day. Just like with other plants, deep and infrequently watering of your lawn encourages deep roots and a lawn that is more tolerant of drought.
Water plants at the base near the root zone. Watering plants at the base gets the water right where it is needed and also conserves water. Avoiding overhead watering also can reduce the chances of your plants developing fungal and other leaf spot problems.
Don’t forget to check! The best way to figure out if your plants are getting enough water is to take a shovel to the lawn or the soil near the base of the plant and dig in a good six inches to see if the soil is damp or dry. Most plants benefit from watering that gets down a good 6-9″ into the soil.
Sargent’s a wide selection of hoses, watering cans, sprayers, sprinkler, tree rings and bags to help keep your gardens well watered this summer.