Watering Tips During Drought Conditions
We’ve been lucky to have such amazing, sunny weather here recently, but our plants haven’t been getting much rainwater. This recent dry spell in addition to the periods of heavy rain that we experienced over this last year may have resulted in plants not developing a deep enough root system needed to withstand a period with no rain (especially trees and shrubs). Therefore, it is crucial that you water during this period with no rainfall. Established plants should receive one inch of water over the area once a week. Plants installed after February of this year may need more frequent watering. Here are a few more of our watering tips to help keep you plants healthy and thriving:
WATERING TREES & SHRUBS:
When watering trees or shrubs, be sure to give each plant ample watering every time you water. Holding the hose on the plant for a few seconds or even a few minutes is not enough to really get the root system covered. Instead, set your hose down near the base of the plant and set the water pressure to a medium to lower level- not a trickle and not full blast. This will ensure water is getting deeper into the ground and not running off the surface.
LAWNS:
Lawns are also struggling in this time of drought. Make sure to water one inch every three days on established lawns and new lawns every one-two days. To best measure one inch of watering, turn on the sprinkler and use a tuna can or Tupperware dish that is an inch deep as a rain gauge. Time how long the sprinkler takes to fill up the container then run your sprinklers for this amount of time at each watering.
WATER IN THE MORNING:
Plants require water throughout the day and dampness and darkness will cause fungus issues. In-ground sprinkler systems are great, but do not deliver adequate amounts of water to landscaped areas (areas with trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals). Be sure to apply additional water to irrigated areas in these dryer times. In-ground watering systems for lawns work well, but make sure they run in the morning and are getting at least an inch of water to all areas of the lawn.
APPLY MULCH:
Applying mulch will keep roots cool or warm depending on time of year and helps keep moisture in the soil.
REMOVE WEEDS:
Remove weeds from landscaped areas and around newly planted trees or shrubs as these will consume water before it gets to the desirable plants roots as well as reduce nutrient uptake for the plant.
WATERING GUIDELINES BY SIZE:
Small Shrubs and perennials (1 gallon-3 gallon) 3-5 minutes per plant
Medium shrubs and perennials (3-5 gallon in size) 7-10 minutes per plant
Larger shrubs (7-10 gallon) 10-15 minutes per plant
Tees (10-15 gallon) 20 minutes per plant.
Water like the pros- we water every day! Our favorite tool is a good hose and a watering wand. Feel free to come in and talk with one of our experts for advice on watering and all your watering needs. For information on watering
click here
