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 | Tip of the Day |
| Tip Number: 30 | Date: 2001-04-09 |
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 | Effective tips on when and how to water perennials |
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| Watering seems to be one of the most mysterious aspects of gardening. We all know water is essential to success, but all of us fret about giving too much or too little, when to do it, and when to not. To complicate matters more, many regions of the continent impose watering restrictions during the summer, especially during drought periods.
Early morning is the best time of day to water, if at all possible. This makes the most of a limited resource, by distributing the water before the heat of the sun causes much of it to evaporate before it even hits the ground. Morning watering also allows the foliage to dry early in the day, which may reduce the spread of fungal diseases. However, a bed full of wilting perennials is better off being watered immediately, while you are thinking about it, rather than risking forgetting about it the next morning.
Experts always say that a deep watering once a week is better than a light sprinkling every few days. But how much, exactly, is "deep"?
In her book Caring for Perennials, author Janet Macunovich says that:
My goal in watering is to get an inch of water into the ground. That's enough to soak the top 3 to 4 inches of soil within minutes. It also coaxes deep roots to grow over the following few days as the water sinks even lower. An inch of water may come from an overhead sprinkler left running until it fills an inch-high can set near the edge of the sprinkler's throw. Soaker hoses that drip directly onto the soil can be turned off when the bed at the far end of the line is damp 3 inches down.
Beds need to be watered when the soil, at a depth of 3 to 4 inches, feels warm and dry to the touch. Because most of us rely on a combination of natural rainfall and irrigation, this quick finger test is still one of the best methods of water monitoring.
When shopping for a sprinkler, oscillating sprinklers, hand watering wands, soaker hoses, or rotating impact sprinklers are all useful for watering. Choose whichever of these you feel accomplishes the task best. My own preference is for a portable rotating impact sprinkler, the kind with a stake that you shove into the ground. This type of sprinkler allows me to water any portion of a 360 degree circle. It applies water fairly quickly, but at a rate that allows my heavy clay soil to absorb the water. When watering taller plants, I set the sprinkler up on a post.
Automatic irrigation systems can create havoc in the perennial garden. Without careful attention, the timer settings may cause beds to become saturated and remain that way for weeks on end. This is sure death to any plants (like Lavender) that prefer a well-drained soil that dries out slightly between waterings. Gardeners with automatic systems are advised to monitor regularly with the "finger test", and to over-ride the timer setting when watering is not required.
Mulching your beds is a terrific way to cut down on water evaporation from the soil. It helps to keep the water down where perennial roots can get to it, reduces the soil temperature, and at the same time reduces weed problems. Choose from any number of organic mulches out on the market. For perennial beds a 2 to 3 inch deep mulch will do the trick. |
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