When to Water?

When to Water … the Yard, Landscape or anything plant related is a popular question!

Any time, even hot sunshine. Commercial growers run their watering systems night or day. That goes for vegetables… but they try to be as efficient as possible.

Exceptions among flowers? Very few.

Under reasonably favorable conditions, lawns do not require frequent watering. In fact, if one starts early in the season and waters often, the lawn may suffer more severely in midsummer. It may become something of a “water” addict.

When grass does show clear signs of suffering, it should be watered thoroughly. Soak the soil 6 to 8 inches deep and leave it until the need for water becomes serious again.

These instructions, of course, must be modified to suit the climate and species of grass used.

When watering is not feasible, there are several things to do. One does not have to be a western wheat king or a southern cotton planter to take advantage of contour farming, for instance.

My plot, in a big layout of community gardens, happens to be reasonably level. But, adjoining me is a neighbor who has very wisely laid out his rows diagonally so that they are nearly level.

By doing so, he not only curbs erosion but also gives rainfall a chance to soak in rather than run off. Further, one can also throw a little furrow on the up-hill side of a row to discourage little streams from taking off across it.

Another means of conserving moisture is mulching. Last year I mulched pine needles from a nearby stand of pines and used them as a mulch for my tomatoes and melons.

The pine needles not only conserved moisture but curbed weeds and kept the fruits clean and sound with no signs of harm to soil or plants from the more or less resinous needles.

In other sections of my garden I used wood chips as mulch which worked well. About the only weed that came through was the wild morning glory or bind weed but it was not serious.

If a mulch is not used, a wheel hoe with blades that skim along just under the surface rather than with teeth which damage plant roots and often miss the weeds should be used.

The old fashioned hoe will do a good job, too. It is a fine tool but don’t chop and hack with it. That’s hard work. Hold the handle high and let the blade slither along just under the surface of the soil. Keep the blade sharp with a coarse flat file or grinder. I prefer to bevel the edge of mine on the inside. This helps the edge to bite in and saves energy.

It has been proven that cultivating to loosen soil is not of much use in conserving moisture. A layer of dry, firm soil is as effective as loose soil. Just keep the weeds down.

Weeds not only rob the garden of moisture but of nutrients and light. Don’t give them a chance! Remember, too, that they are much easier to battle when they’re small.

Everybody knows water is good for plants but many people do not know the few simple rules needed to water their landscape, lawn and gardens well. A little sensible management throughout the landscape will pay dividends in yield, quality of crops and will save time, labor and water.

Also check out: Water the Landscape

Related Articles Of Interest:

• Water Your Landscape the Right Way
• Ideas for a Rock Garden
• Why and How To Use Mulches
• Lilies – Soil and Mulch Preparation