Watering by hand in the summer
Summer is with us now and we need to consider how and when to water. It’s good to have an understanding of how we do this.
At this time of year always work in moist soil when setting out new plants. Usually a drip irrigation system provides this but here’s a way that to makes sure there is an abundance of moisture around the roots. Use your trowel to make the planting hole then fill it with water. Set out the plant in the mud pie you have made’
Also sow seeds in moist soil that has been “roughed up” a little to provide a receptive surface where the seeds naturally fall into the soil instead of lying on top of it. Avoid the traditional furrow that some books tell you to make with the edge of a hoe. That furrow forces seeds to fall to the bottom with one seed on top of another and so you get seedling crowding one another. Sowing on the flat in a roughed up soil enables you to scatter the seed more effectively. Sprinkle the area gently to wash down the rough soil and bury the seeds where they fell.
Sprinkling gently is best done by pointing the hose up in the air and letting the water fall like rain. If you squirt downwards with the faucet fully open the soil will be washed away and the seeds moved into a heap. Seeds will need daily watering, and perhaps twice a day if the weather in sunny and windy. It’s best to cover the seeds with a box of mesh to prevent birds from going after the seeds and seedlings. Floating Row Covers also provide enough protection and you can water through the fabric. As the seedlings grow you can stretch the interval of watering but it’s important to not let the germinating seed dry out, even for an afternoon.
When is the best time to water your garden–morning or evening? A morning sprinkling gets the seedlings or plants ready for the stresses of the afternoon whereas an evening watering merely restores the plant’s condition after a hot day of drying out. You’ll find that a morning routine gives stronger plants that grow more vigorously.
What are the signs that tell you that watering needs to be done? Wilting is an extreme condition and plants should be watered before this happens. Look at the new leaves of a plant that’s recently been set out to discover the effects of water shortage. They will be somewhat dull in color and darker than leaves that are adequately supplied with water. When water is provided plants will recover in all but the grossly neglected gardens
The soil can be kept moist longer if you use a mulch over it. Take a bale of alfalfa hay ( the best of the choices and straw is in the middle of the consideration whereas Bermudagrass is decidedly the worst) and prise out a flake that is about three inches thick. It looks like a square tile of green material. Lay these on the soil, around the plants and over the drip tubing and you’ve kept the fierce summer sun off the soil and the birds off the drip tubing, which they often damage in their search for a better drink. Flakes like this will not be carried away by summer’s winds as is a covering of loose straw.
Try not to coil garden hoses after you’ve done your watering. If you do they become hard to uncoil with out getting the hose kinked. It’s better to lay out the hose to a distant point and then double back to the faucet. Try not to shut off the flow of water with a valve at the end of the hose. If you do use this convenience the hose will be under pressure and could burst if it’s a cheap one. Remember that our summer sun really cooks the water in the hose and you should not use this hot water on plants, but spill it out on a tree well. Remember, too, that our water is often salty and if the leaves of plants are splashed they dry out with a salty residue that is harmful to new tender growth. Here’s another reason to irrigate in the early morning!
How do you know you’ve watered by hand long enough? Poke into the soil as far as the root zone. For seedlings, a short rod, such as a screwdriver, will do. For trees you’ll get a better indication by using a three foot long piece of smooth re-bar. Push it into the soil until it stops–and that’s where the water stopped!
