Water Wise Gardening

Most people don't think about how they are going to water their garden. They figure that all they need to do is just pull out the garden hose once in a awhile and give it a good once over. There are however more effective and efficient ways to water your garden that will also help you to conserve water. Many people wonder why their plants are not thriving even though they water them everyday. The simple fact is, most plants will do better if they are given one good, deep watering when the surface of the soil becomes dry, rather than having more frequent, light watering.

If your watering your plants a little everyday, all you are doing is wasting water. Light waterings only wet the surface and do not penetrate the soil to the plants roots where it is most needed. This of course, does only apply to established plants. Freshly sown seeds and seedlings do require frequent light waterings until they become established. Once the plant becomes established you can start watering less frequently and more heavily.

Some of the ways to improve efficiency in watering your garden do not even involve the water itself. Before planting you should check your soil. If your soil is too sandy and will drain quickly, you should add some compost or other organic material to it to help it retain water. You can also try choosing plants that are more drought tolerant than others. Map out your garden beforehand and group plants according to their watering needs. This makes it much easier to provide the right amount of water to each plant.

Setting up an irrigations system is the best way to effectively water your garden. To set up a drip irrigation system all you need is a water faucet and a soaker hose. There are two general types of soaker hoses. One is a porous material that the water will slowly seep through, throughout the entire length of the hose. The other is made from a vinyl or plastic material with small holes through the length that allow the water to drip through. A soaker hose eliminates the excess evaporation of water that can occur when using spraying attachments and overhead sprinklers. To use a soaker hose, you simply hook it up to your water source and then wind it around your plants. Since the hose lays directly on the ground the water is immediately absorbed into the soil and little evaporation occurs. The amount of time that you leave the hose on is dependent upon a few factors. If your plants are spaced closely together you will need to let the hose run longer so that the water is able to penetrate the soil deeply enough for all of the plants. If you have a water retaining soil such as clay or loam, you may not need to let the water run for as long.

Most garden plants actually only need about one inch of water per week. If you live in an area that frequently gets rain, you may not need to water much at all. Turning the soaker hose on for about one hour a week should be sufficient enough in most places. If you live in an extremely dry area you may need to water more often. You should water your plants whenever you see that the top one inch of soil is dry. This of course, is not a necessity for drought tolerant plants which can go longer in between waterings. Make sure that you check on your plants while watering. If you see puddles of water starting to build up, turn the water off until the excess water drains away.

Another effective and efficient way to water plants is to set up rain barrels. You can use any size or shape vessel that will catch and hold water. Rain water is not only free, but can actually be better for plants than tap water is. In some studies it has been shown that plants watered only with rain water have grown better than plants watered with processed tap water. Rain water can easily be used to water house plants and other container grown plants. Simply dip your watering can into the barrel, fill and water. The downside to rain barrels is that they can be a breeding ground for mosquito larva. To eliminate this, add one or two drops of liquid dish soap to the barrel. This will keep mosquitos away and cause no harm to your plants.

The best time to water your garden is early in the morning or late in the evening. When you water late in the morning or in the afternoon you will loose a lot of water to evaporation. It can also scald or cause discoloration to the foliage of your plants. If you do happen to notice a plant in the middle of the day that is wilting and in need of water you should water it immediately! If this need should arise simply make sure that you only water at the soil level and do not get water on the plant leaves or stems. Any plants that are susceptible to fungal disease should only be watered early in the mornings. This is so that their foliage does not remain damp throughout the night which can promote fungus growth.

Whether you live in an area that has water restrictions or not, water wise gardening is still a good habit to get into and the smart thing to do. Not only will you be helping to conserve water, but you will also be saving time and money.