Watering Basics For Your Home Garden
Watering
Conserving water is not only a way to save money, it’s become a necessity in some drought-plagued parts of the country. Here are some guidelines to help you get the most from the water you use - and help save money, too.
Water requirements of plants
High temperature and low humidity cause plants to give off (transpire) huge quantities of water into the air, creating a drain on soil reserves. Under these conditions, a large, mature tree releases as much as 200 gallons of water a day. Small plants release much less, but the actual quantity surprises many people.
A block of sweet corn often transpires more the 12 surface inches of water in a season. The average tree, shrub, or flower can grow without regular feeding or cultivation, and even survive several insect attacks. But let it go dry for only a short time, and growth is stunted severely - or the plant dies. Plants require water for every physiologic function, so adequately supply your with moisture.
How much to water
No rule applies to all plants, but a good one to follow is to supplement rainfall until you’ve supplied plants with one inch a week. When you water the lawn or garden, mark a one-inch level inside three one-pound coffee cans and space them within an area covered by a sprinkler. If less than one inch of rain falls during the week following the last watering, run the sprinkler until water reaches the one-inch mark. Empty the cans and reset them each time you move the sprinkler.
Deep watering
This saves both time and money. Water applied to only the top inch or two of soil is wasted because it evaporates before the plants can use it. Roots will penetrate deeply into moist soil. Top growth depends on a continuous supply of deep water to promote strong supporting roots - especially important for trees in windy regions.
Light watering results in shallow root systems. Hot midsummer sun and wind will dry out surface soil in a few days, leaving the plants high and dry. For this reason, let sprinklers or trickle systems do the watering. Few of us will patiently hold a hose long enough to supply sufficient amounts of water over large areas.
Soil amendments
You can save moisture and improve the structure of any common soil by spading in leaf mold, compost, peat moss, aged sawdust, or other partially decayed organic matter. All act like sponges.
Sandy soil dries out at least three time faster than clay and twice as fast as loam. Adding organic matter improves the tilth of all three. It binds sandy soil for better water retention, and opens up clay and heavy loam soils for better penetration by water and air. Mulches also will save soil moisture.
Water robbers
Weeds in your lawn and garden steal water and plant food from the soil - sometimes more than the plants use themselves. Eliminate them with a hoe or other hand tool when they are small.
Wind is another robber. Prevailing winds injure a garden or lawn by increasing soil water evaporation and plant transpiration. Avoid much of this moisture loss by establishing windbreaks, such as evergreens or a fence designed to reduce the force of winds.
What plants have priority?
Some won’t survive unless the soil is reasonably moist at all times. Care for these first if you do not have enough time or water to cover everything. Bluegrass lawns often turn brown in summer heat and drought. Don’t worry about your lawn if you have other plants need water more. This only means the grass is dormant, not dead; it will turn green again when cooler weather and fall rains stimulate new growth.
