Watering | Weeding | Caring | Feeding

WATERING

Karen's hot trade secrets to watering your garden...

Watering: The single most important element for plant survival. Here are a few tips which I have found invaluable.

NEVER PLANT NEWLY PURCHASED PLANTS THAT ARE DRY

The potting mix will not re-wet as easily as you expect. Although the soil around the root ball will take up the water, the root ball remains dry. This drying is a major cause of new plants dying. If the root ball is dry, submerge the potted plant in a bucket of water until the air bubbles stop rising. At this stage the water will have replaced all the air spaces and you can now plant.

WATER NEW PLANTS IN THE EVENING

Water new plantings for a period of 3-4 weeks in the evening to minimise evaporation loss. This watering maintains constant moisture around the roots of your new plants and is essential to give them a healthy start.

You may have to water every 2-3 days or 4-5 days depending upon levels of sun, drying winds, cloud cover, and soil type. Light sandy soils and freely draining soils need more frequent watering. Heavier soils which have a higher organic content [composted], hold water more efficiently and require less frequent watering.

MULCH MULCH MULCH!

Water escapes through evaporation into the air, mulching your garden stops water evaporation through the soil. Mulch should be 75mm-100mm deep and will also prevent weed seeds germinating. As the mulch rots down, it returns nutrients and organic matter to the soil. This process improves soil structure and water holding capacity.

Remember to keep mulch away from stems of plants as it can rot the tender green stems. Mulch can be composed of shredded garden pruning, tree bark, leaf litter, straw, hay, lucerne, rice husks, nut shells, or sugar cane tops. Lay a thick wad of wet newspaper [6-8 sheets] or cardboard on the soil beneath your mulch. This will extend the life of your mulch.

ORGANIC COMPOST

The water holding capacity of your soil can be improved by the addition of composted organic matter. Whatever your soil type, it will need as much organic matter as you can give it. All organic matter must be composted first. Organic matter can be vegetable scraps, small garden clippings, leaves, old sacks, newspapers, in fact anything organic.

HYDROPHOBIC SOIL

Hydrophobic soil is soil that does not have enough organic matter. The soil structure breaks down to powder which repels water. If your soil is hydrophobic [it can not absorb water], then you can use water crystals or another wetting agent. Wetting agents work by stopping water run off.

HOW LONG SHOULD I WATER FOR?

It is always best to water deeply. Shallow watering encourages roots to grow close to the surface. Roots which grow close to the surface will dry out and die when the weather is hot and dry. Deep watering encourages the roots to penetrate deeper into the soil and will be able to withstand longer periods of drought.

Different soils wet at different rates. You should use a garden trowel to check how far down the water has penetrated. One or two good waterings a week are better than daily short watering.