Watering Guidlines
Watering your plants following planting is vital to there survival. Given ever changing weather conditions, there are no precise watering instructions. The following will however provide guidelines for watering. The first two weeks are critical. After planting is completed, please water every day during the first week. During the second week you can water every other day.Similar to watering houseplants, you will need to determine if watering is required. Thebest method to determine if watering is required is to brush aside the hardwood mulch (or stone mulch) at the base of the plant and touch the soil. If the soil is moist, you do not need to water. If it is dry, watering is required.
THE FOLLOWING IS GENERALLY TRUE
• Water more aggressively during the first two weeks.
o The first week water daily with out testing the soil as described above.
o The second week water every other day.
• Rain will reduce the amount of watering you need to do.
• Wind will increase the amount of watering you need to do.
• The higher the temperature, the more watering you need to do.
• Sandy soils will require more frequent watering than clay soils.
WATER SMART
You've seen this common conservation crime: the oscillating sprinkler watering more sidewalk than garden in the height of the afternoon. Smart gardeners know that overhead sprinklers are so last summer—a waste of water and invitation to plant diseases. We asked experts in different climates for hints on watering your garden to keep it healthy throughout the season.
Hand check
Before whipping out the watering can, check your garden's soil moisture with that handiest of tools, your finger. Push it into the ground around your plants. You want the top 2 or 3 inches of the soil to be dry, and the soil below that to be moist. Oh, and don't forget to check your local weather forecast to see what Mother Nature has planned before turning on the hose.
Timing is everything
In warm weather, water in the morning to give plants a chance to drink up before the hot sun or strong winds evaporate the moisture. This protects plants from wilting in the afternoon heat, too. In a prolonged drought, cover more sensitive plants with a shade cloth to limit midday transpiration. If you can't water in the morning, try for late afternoon—but not too late; the foliage should have time to dry before the sun goes down so it doesn't develop fungal diseases.
Deep and infrequent
Seeds and seedlings demand moisture close to the soil's surface, but more established plants need deep watering to develop roots that will find water in the subsoil when drought strikes. Just be careful not to overwater! You want soil that's damp but not soggy down to 5 to 6 inches below the surface. In waterlogged soil, roots are deprived of oxygen and may lose the ability to take up water. If your plants' foliage begins to brown at the edges and fall from the plant, you may be overwatering.