Sometimes it can be hard to tell how well you are watering your plants. This is especially true in the summer months where the dry heat can require more specific times for watering or different quantities of water that you’re used to.
When to Water Lawn and Plants
In general, you’re going to want to water your plants in the morning. For your morning watering you need to make sure you water before it gets too hot. This is to ensure that the water doesn’t evaporate too quickly causing the leaves to burn and possibly wilt. This is called sun damage. In addition to this, watering early will prevent fungal growth and diseases on your plants from excess water on the leaves overnight.
Using a hose with a water wand is highly recommended, particularly once you’re certain that the plant’s roots have matured. This will allow you to water the plants deeply; ensuring that your plants are watered deeply will cut down on the amount of water you actually have to use, saving you both money and time! In addition, watering deeply will allow the plant’s roots to grow deeper and stronger. Using soaker hoses and automatic timers can also help regulate the amount of water your plants are receiving. These can be particularly useful if you find it hard to find the time to water your yard in the morning. Remember, on very hot days, always water more than you think you should, extremely hot summer days are also extremely dry summer days!
How to Tell if You are Over or Under watering
Ensuring that your plants receive the correct amount of moisture they need is essential to a healthy yard or lawn. Mulch can help a lot in this regard since it helps keep moisture from evaporating rapidly during those dry summer days. One major consideration for the amount of water you give your plants is going to be if the plants (or grass) in question are new. New plants’ root systems are not completely developed so they require more water initially to ensure that the root system grows strong and healthy. This new plant phase can last anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the plant in question. So be sure to keep this in mind when choosing what plants will go in your yard.
To tell if your plants are over or under watered look to see if the plant is wilting. Wilting is a sure sign that your plant is not healthy. If the plant is wilted, but the soil is wet, then you are over watering your plant. On the other hand, if your plant is wilting and the soil is dry, then you can be sure that it needs more water. Browning or yellowing are also tell-tale signs that your plant is unhealthy. Here again you must look to your soil to see if you’ve been over or under watering your plant. The same rule applies, if the soil is dry your plant needs more water, if it’s wet it needs less.
Watering your plants can sometimes be a bit tricky, but with an observant eye and a little practice you can ensure that your yard looks crisp and green throughout the hot dry summer.
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