Using Water to Make a Beautiful Landscape
The plants in your landscape have a few basic needs, and the two most important are water and sunlight. While everyone knows these are the cornerstones of the success for your landscape, doing it right is a different story. With water alone, there’s different paths to success including when to water, how much to water, and other optimizing strategies which we go over below.
When to Water?
Watering your plants and grass is best in the morning and the evening. This means before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. The main reason you should be watering during these times is to avoid the sun burning your plants, since the sun is hottest in the middle of the day. Another benefit to watering at these times is that you avoid any unnecessary evaporation. While either the morning or evening work as times for watering, if possible, water in the morning. Watering in the morning allows your plants to be well hydrated throughout the day and since you’re watering in the morning, you’re avoiding the potential of fungi growth which can occur when watering at night.
How Often Should You be Watering?
A common misconception is it’s best to water a little bit daily, however that’ s not the case. Watering once or twice a week is best, as a deep thorough soak is perfect for the plants, as the deep soak allows the plants to utilize the water better. These deep soaks should be completed by slowly watering the area. Utilizing a sprinkler system or drip system distributes the water in the best manner for this. Another solution if you don’t have any access to a sprinkler system is to use a water can and slowly move around the area so the that you are watering all parts, while also allowing the water to soak in and not puddle on top of the ground. A typical sprinkler system watering takes around 30 minutes.
Optimizing Strategies
To get the best results with watering, you must take into account the variables you’re working with. These variables include ground type, how you’re watering and what type of plants you’re tending to. For example, if you’re watering grass, you don’t need as deep of a soak as the roots don’t penetrate as deep into the soil. However plants in a garden have deeper roots, you want to ensure the water is soaking all the way down to those. Another big variable is the type of soil you’re dealing with. If you’re working with a clay, watering can become a little tougher, as it will pool and not soak into the ground like necessary, so you must plan for this and water lighter, but rather than watering once, you can do it twice a week. Finally, make sure to change the amount of watering you do depending on the time of year. In late April, you won’t need as much as in the middle of summer. This is on account of the much warmer temperatures and the higher humidity in the summer months. You’ll want to keep watering for longer periods of time until late August, which is when you can start winding down until the frost date.
Efficient Irrigation – Watering & Irrigation – Efficient Uses in the Garden and Landscape – Watering Efficiently
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