When and How to Water Your Garden Properly
Watering sounds like the easiest garden job, but it is where many gardeners go wrong. Plants do better with deep, less frequent watering than with a quick sprinkle every day. The right approach depends on your soil, your climate, and what you are growing.
Water deeply, not often
Shallow watering encourages shallow roots, which dry out quickly. A thorough soak encourages roots to grow deeper, where the soil stays cooler and damper. As a rough guide, many gardens need about 2.5 centimetres (an inch) of water a week from rain and watering combined, but this varies widely.
Check the soil first
Push a finger two to three centimetres into the soil. If it feels dry, water. If it is damp, wait. This simple test is more reliable than a fixed schedule.
Best time of day
Early morning is usually best, because the plants have moisture for the day ahead and leaves dry quickly, which lowers the risk of disease. Evening watering is the second choice. Midday watering loses more water to evaporation.
Water the soil, not the leaves
Aim at the base of plants. Wet leaves, especially on tomatoes and squash, can encourage fungal diseases. Soaker hoses and drip lines deliver water slowly to the roots and waste very little.
Special cases
- Containers dry out much faster than the ground and may need daily watering in hot weather.
- New plants and seedlings need steady moisture while they establish.
- Sandy soils drain quickly, while clay soils hold water longer.
- Established trees and shrubs usually need less frequent watering but a deep soak in dry spells.
Save water
Add a layer of mulch to reduce evaporation, collect rainwater in a barrel where it is permitted, and group plants with similar needs together.
Learn to read your plants and your soil, and watering will become a quick, intuitive job.