It is always a battle to keep our plants happy and healthy with the summer heat. The ground dries so quickly and it seems that sometimes I cannot get enough water to my poor plants no matter how much I go out and spray them down. It turns out it isn’t always as simple as pulling the hose out and giving them a good watering every day when I get home from work. There is a little technique to it.
Before I get into exactly how I water my plants, I’d like to stress the importance of knowing my plants. I always make sure I do my due diligence and research how much water a specific plant requires and how often it should be watered. This can be as simple as asking someone behind the counter at either of Greenstreet Garden’s retail centers. There is an endless number of plants out there but there is always someone on staff who has an answer for me. Whether I’m curious about watering or where to place a plant, someone can help.
Now that I have an idea of how my plant needs to be cared for, I must actually care for it and that starts with proper watering. Like I alluded to before, I used to give a good once over with the hose and call it a day. That has resulted in several dead plants in my early unsuccessful gardening days. My first issue I learned about was the time of day I was watering. I would get off work and water around 4pm after they had been baking in the sun all morning. This isn’t good for them. It goes best when I get my watering done early in the morning before I leave for the day. It is a bit of a pain to get up early to water but it helps mitigate the stress my garden gets from the hot summer sun. My second issue was how I was watering. I used to just put the hose on almost full blast and spray each plant for 10-20 seconds. I’ve since learned plants do the best if I water them at their base and not from straight up above. I also have slowed down the flow of water. A slow and soaking watering at the base of a plant is much healthier and allows for the best chance of them making it through the hot season. If I water deeply, it also can sometimes mean I don’t even need to water everyday which is nice. Watering deeply and infrequently is always better than watering shallowly and often.
This probably seems like a no brainer to some, but I’ve learned I need to regularly check for signs of stress among my plants. I often check the leaves and flowers for any wilting or droopiness. However, a wilting plant doesn’t always mean that it isn’t getting enough water. It can also indicate I am overwatering it and that can be just as bad for their health. The next step after finding a plant in distress is I check the soil. If it is bone dry, I should water it a bit more and that should resolve it. If the soil is wet, I should maybe hold back a bit on the watering and see if that helps. When I check the soil, I stick my finger about 2 inches down in the dirt and feel for moisture. Appearances can be deceiving so it is always good to physically check yourself. Also, a side note is it is a good rule of thumb that new plants will almost always require more watering than your older and more established plants. If it is within their first year, they will almost certainly need more watering and attention.
Our gardens are an investment. They cost money and time to maintain, and they are a source of joy in life for those of us who work on building them. Sometimes I wish mine could take care of itself but that unfortunately is not the way it works. Plants need lots of care and in the past, it has felt like I’ve done all I can, and they still fail. I would water and water and still end up with dead plants. With a little tweaking and hard learned lessons, I have turned my garden into something that brings me nothing but joy, not disappointment. For more information, or to pick up some essential summer watering tools, stop into one of our stores and check out our selection!
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