WATERING GUIDELINES

For a beautiful garden the most important maintenance factor is proper watering!

Watering Should Promote Deep Root Growth
Deep roots help the plants survive through the winter and through drought conditions. Frequent shallow watering will promote surface roots. The negative effects of shallow watering may not be apparent until the following spring when you see plants that have died over the winter or survived in a weakened condition.

NEW GARDEN		ESTABLISHED GARDEN
First 4 Weeks		After 4 Weeks
M     T     W     Th     F     S     S     EVENLY MOIST		M Water Day T     W Water Day Th     F     S     S     WET PERIOD DRY PERIOD

New Garden*
*Or established gardens where annuals or new perennials have been added.

Your objective in watering during the first 4 weeks is to keep the soil slightly moist to encourage the roots to spread and grow out of the root ball. In hot weather plants can deplete all the moisture available to them in their little root ball even though the soil throughout the rest of the garden is moist. This moisture can not be absorbed by the roots, because they are still tight in their root ball and have not spread into the soil. In this case use a hose instead of a sprinkler to apply water right at the base of the plants. A bone dry root ball will not absorb water readily. Apply slowly, moving from plant to plant and returning to each plant 3 or 4 times.

There is no set rule for keeping a garden Evenly Moist, because it depends on weather conditions. During a cool May, two light waterings (spaced more or less evenly apart) per week may be sufficient. A garden planted in mid summer may need water every day for the first week or two.

Established Garden
Your objective in watering after the first 4 weeks is to encourage the roots to grow down by establishing a wet/dry cycle. Provided that the roots have been encouraged to spread out during the first month, they are now ready to grow down. Established gardens should be watered deeply alternated with a drying period. As the surface becomes slightly dry, the roots are forced to grow deeper into the moist soil below. The Dry Period is just as essential as the Wet Period.

Sample Schedule for Automatic Irrigation System

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 5:00 am 20-35 min   5:00 am 20-35 min         7:45 am 20-35 min   7:45 am 20-35 min*

*The second session on Wednesday may not be needed when temperatures are cooler at the beginning and the end of the growing season.

How to Determine What Time to Start the Second Cycle.
Multiply the number of garden zones by the number of minutes to find out how long the first watering session will take. In the example above assume there are 5 zones and allow 30 minutes per zone. Therefore it takes 2 hours and 30 minutes for all the zones to run. The first session is finished at 7:30 a.m., so the second session can start at 7:45 a.m.

Make sure to schedule so that lawn and garden cycles do not overlap.


Why Do We Suggest Running the Cycle Twice on a Watering Day Instead of Once?
Often the soil cannot absorb the water as quickly as the automatic irrigation system puts it out. Water may begin to puddle or run off, but actually it has not soaked deeply for optimal root growth. By giving the first application of water time to soak, the soil will hold more water when the irrigation cycles a second time.

The number of mintues to run the sprinkler depends on weather conditions. If the garden is too dry and looking stressed before the end of the Dry Period, increase watering time. Do not add an extra day.

Please TURN OFF your automatic system when rainfall is ample. Don't forget to turn it back on when weather turns hot and dry!

How to Water if You Do Not Have an Automatic Irrigation System.
It is not necessary to schedule two watering sessions on the same day, because sprinklers that attach to hoses put out water at a much slower rate than automatic systems. Set up your watering days as suggested for an automatic system. On each day water for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Since sprinklers vary greatly, adjust the length of watering times as needed. When temperatures are cooler at the beginning and end of the growing season, cut back to one water day per week.

Do Not Hand Hold a Hose and Spray the Garden
Although many people find it restful and therapeutic to personally water their garden, the water does not soak deeply enough even if water is pooling on the surface. It would take hours of going back and forth to adequately water. Sprinklers were invented to do this for us. In a very small garden area where sprinklers are impractical, let the water run out of the hose very slowly at the base of each plant. Come back and move the hose every 5 to 10 minutes.

When to Start and Stop Watering for the Year
Gardens are usually watered from early June to mid-September. Depending on weather, it can be necessary to start in May and continue through October.

Nothing Substitutes for Common Sense
It is impossible to give a watering "recipe" that works for every garden all of the time. Variables ranging from sprinkler design to weather conditions, slope, and soil composition have to be considered. Use good judgement to adjust the watering schedule based on your observations of your garden.