Garden Design Watering Tips for Belclaire gardeners

Maintaining the proper watering schedule is crucial for protecting your landscape, the environment and your home. Our friends at Garden Design have some great tips on watering to ensure the plants at your Belclaire home are hydrated and healthy. The goal is to water less by watering more when we do water. By soaking the soil, the moisture stays longer, and the plants’ roots will grow down to get to the moisture. Light, frequent watering keeps the roots near the surface and plants run out of water quickly. A long, soaking water application is the goal. Remember, only you can control the amount of water needed for your lawn and garden. 

• The first tip is “every landscape is different.” Solar orientation, existing soils and plants types all contribute to the water needs of your garden.
• New landscapes need a lot of water. Soak your grass until it is established and keep it wet. Do not walk on wet grass.
• If you have a drip irrigation system or bubblers you can water any day between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. Check with your city water department to verify.
• Some irrigation systems use all spray heads. New irrigation regulations require some areas to have drip irrigation tubes installed in the flower beds and parkways. The spray heads required 12 -15 minutes to soak a garden. Drip tubes require 30-45 minutes or more to water the same amount. Change your thinking and water longer.
• Check your landscape once a week. Look for drooping plants, sick plants, cracks in the soil and bugs on your plants. Watching the landscape will protect the investment in your home and landscape.
• Hand watering is the best way to water plants. DO NOT OVER WATER.
• You must adjust the irrigation program after you move-in to avoid over watering.

Trees:
All trees must be hand watered or watered by bubbler daily for the first two weeks. After that, water 2-3 times a week except when temperature is below 70 degrees, then water once a week. Once established, water 1-2 times per week. Place a water hose at the base of trees. Use a slow stream of water to let the equivalent of 15 gallons of water soak into the tree. If your tree has a tree bubbler as part of the irrigation system, check the bubbler to make sure it is open and water is flowing. Set the timer to water for 7-8 minutes. The water should fill the water ring around the base of the tree and some may overflow. Monitor to make sure that the tree is receiving the right amount and that the water is soaking in. Too much water will kill trees quickly.

Lawns:
Grass only dies from lack of water. New sod needs lots of water and you may need to water multiple times per day. As you increase the frequency decrease the amount of water by 20%. Example with spray heads:

• 80 degrees and below – 1 time for 10 minutes.
• 80 to 95 degrees – 2 times per day for 12 minutes.
• 100 degrees – 2 times a day for 15 minutes.

Gardens:
Water new gardens once a day for the first two weeks. Remember, saturate then let dry out. Gardens with southern and western exposure will need more water. Most garden will have drip tubes under the mulch and it is hard to tell if the irrigation is working. Periodically, you must check the moisture content of your soil. Look at the plants and watch for signs of stress.

Schedule:
Change your watering schedule several times each year. We recommend the following schedule under normal temperatures. When the daytime temperature exceeds 85 degrees for more than 3 days, reset the program to water 3 times per week and maintain until the temperature recedes.

How long should you water?
Set the Irrigation controller timer per the type of head and the location. Be aware that the following run times are based on full sun exposure. Decrease time for shade areas. Do not run side yards (less than seven feet wide) for more than five minutes. Most small side yards require only three.

Standing water:
Monitor frequency, duration and coordinate usage with your neighbor so that you water on different days.

Water restrictions:
If your city only allows watering once or twice a week, set your controller to come on twice per day on the days allowed. For example, you may need to water at 3 a.m. and again after 6 p.m. Saturate the lawn and garden and let dry out before the next watering day.