Flower Gardens

» mis2ko - How often?

I installed a Mr. Landscape watering system for my garden. I don't know how often I should have it go on. Last summer I did it DAILY for 20 minutes. I am in Chicago and the garden is part sun/part shade.

-- posted by mis2ko

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» Cottage_Garden - How often to water flowers?

In response to How often? posted by mis2ko:

How often to water depends on the weather and on your soil type and on what you are growing. There is no set schedule for it, unfortunately. The best thing to do would be to use a probe to automatically regulate your watering system. It would check the soil moisture and only water when needed.

In your area it would be unusual to need to water much at all during the spring or fall since it typically rains often enough to keep the soil moist. In the heat of summer when there is a dry spell and the soil dries out as a result, then you could possibly need to water.

The general idea is to check the soil by digging into it with your fingers. If it is still damp, do not water yet. When you do water, water slowly and thoroughly so the water soaks down to the deeper roots.

In a clay soil, it can take a long time for the water to soak down -- maybe until the next day. In a sandy soil, it moves much faster. So, after watering you would need to dig down and see how far the water actually went. Digging down to see what is happening will help you calibrate the timing on your watering system.

With a clay soil you would water less often because it holds moisture quite well. In a sandy soil you would water more often because it drains so quickly.

Using a layer of organic mulch will reduce your watering needs. Soil in a shaded area usually stays moister longer than a sunny area will. On the other hand, greedy tree roots can suck soil dry in a hurry.

Too, some plants are much thirstier than others. If you are growing water hogs (plants that require a wet soil) then certainly you will need to keep the soil moister. If you are growing drought tolerant plants, then your watering will be reduced.

I think many people do not water deeply. A daily sprinkling seems effective -- but you will have to water daily forever. Why? This causes the plants to grow their roots near the soil surface instead of to their normal depth. When the roots are at the surface, they are in the part of the soil that naturally dries out first. So when the soil surface dries, they wilt and need watered.

It would be better to water less often but make sure it is soaking down in deep. This should reduce your water usage and lower your water bill. It helps the plants keep their roots deep where they belong -- where the soil naturally stays moister longer.

You will also have to take rain into account. If you get a good soaking rain there is no need to water for a while -- maybe not for a week or two or more in cool weather.

So, check and see. Eventually you will develop a sense of when you need to water, based on precipitation and the temperatures, the location, your plants ... and when it is not necessary.

-- posted by Cottage_Garden

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» Angela England - How often to water flowers?

In response to How often to water flowers? posted by Cottage_Garden:

I think too, the one thing about watering that I didn't take into account as a new gardener was that different plants had different requirements!

Now I will hand water my tomatoes almost every day in our scorching Oklahoma summers, but more drought tolerant plants like succulents, Echinacea, and coreopsis wouldn't need to be watered more than an inch every week or so.

And well established shrubs take less water as well so our crapemyrtle and lilac only got watered in the case of the extreme drought we had last year where we had a full month with no rain whatsoever. I only watered them once or twice the entire month just to help them survive through the drought season!

These are all great tips Barb! Thanks for sharing.

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