Featured Landscape Tip
Blog
Lawn & Garden Watering Guide
By: Maggie Thornton 07.06.2010 | Comments: 0Summer appears to have finally arrived, and in a big way. Your trees, plants and lawn have been experiencing cool, moist weather all Spring. They won't get the luxury of an adjustment period this year which would allow them to 'harden off' and become less susceptible to the 90 degree days we have coming up. Likely, they are going to suffer some ill effects. There are a few things you can do to give your garden a little relief.
First, make sure your watering system is turned on and ready to go! This may sound obvious, but I find that many people wait until the first hot day to check their irrigation system, finding out too late that it needs a repair. By the time the system is working, the hot weather has turned the lawn to straw and the plants to sticks.
Second, any plants you've put in the ground within the last 12-24 months need extra water. It takes a year or two for plants to establish themselves fully once planted. In the meantime, they are more likely to suffer from hot weather.
Third, remember that warm temperatures, air movement and sunlight increase water evaporation. Don’t let your money evaporate! Watering is most efficient early in the morning; a second choice is to water in the evening.

And fourth, measure your sprinkler output. Many people don’t know how much water to apply to a lawn. Water can’t be measured in time, as sprinklers and irrigation systems deliver different amounts of water over the same period of time. You can determine your lawn’s proper watering time by letting your sprinklers fill your ProGrass rain gauge (or an empty tuna can) to a half inch, and note how many minutes that takes. Then, water 2-3 times a week for that time. In really hot weather, add a day or two to the schedule.
And, keep in mind that most plants like alternate wet and dry spells. Lawns and most shrubs like to go dry for 2-3 days, and then have a good drink. Watering this way also reduces weed germination in your landscape. However, annual flowers require water at least every other day, so it’s best to plant them in isolated flower beds or large pots. Avoid grouping plants with different water needs together; something will suffer.
Another good source for all sorts of information on watering is the Regional Water Providers Consortium.
-
Search the Experts Blog
-
Archive
-
Popular Tags
aeration
annual bluegrass
azalea
backflow test
Birch borer
Birch care
Birch problems
birds
blue
Bronze Birch borer
brown
Budapest
butterflies
Cascade Water Alliance
chlorophyll
clay soil
color spot
community gardens
cool evenings
copper
crabgrass
deciduous
dehydration
Diadem
disease
dogs
dormant spray
drought stress
drought-stress
dying Birches
eco roof
fairy rings
fall
fertilizer
flowers
foreign grass
freeze damage
fungus
garden
Garden Time
Gardens For Kids
GardenWorld
grass
green roof
gypsum
heat stress
horticultural oil
hot weather
irrigation system
landscape drainage
lawn
lawn replacement
Le Tour de Plants
lighting
limestone
mildew
mushrooms
NaturalCare
NaturalCare Plus
neem oil
new shrubs
new trees
organic
patches
pesticide
pet friendly landscaping
pets
Portland
Powdery
powdery mildew
pruning
rain garden
rain gauge
rain sensor
rare plants
rebates
red
runoff
rust
safety
sedums
sod
soil pH
sprinklers
sustainable
thread
tree wound
trees
vegetables
water
watering
welcome
wilting Birches
Wine & Wags

Comments (0)
Post new comment