Watering is not always a priority for gardeners, especially when it rains a lot. However, during drier periods, it becomes important to adapt your practices to meet the needs of your plants without wasting water.
Beginners tend to overwater: they are often seen watering every day, which is harmful to plants. Normally, one deep watering per week is sufficient for plants in the ground. However, some potted plants may need to be watered more frequently.
If you water with a hose or watering can, you will generally need to go over the area two or three times to ensure that the water penetrates at least 20 cm (8 inches) into the soil. If you use a sprinkler, you will need to water for a good hour. With a soaker hose, which waters more slowly, try 1 to 3 hours. Curiously, despite this prolonged watering period, the soaker hose uses less water than manual watering or a sprinkler, as it loses little water to evaporation.
The above rules apply to normal and clay soils. If your soil is sandy, water twice a week, but with half as much water at a time.
Watering the Lawn
A well-established lawn does not need watering in summer. However, gardeners water their lawns so much that municipalities have had to issue watering restrictions to prevent reservoirs from running dry. My recommendation? Don’t water your lawn in summer: the worst that can happen is that it will go into “summer dormancy” and turn a little brown. As soon as the rains return and temperatures cool down, it will turn green again.
I write the previous paragraph knowing that no one will listen to me. Some people are so obsessed with having a “beautiful green lawn,” even in the middle of summer, that they will water more rather than less. But to avoid getting fined, I suggest you at least contact your local municipality to find out what restrictions are in place on lawn watering.
Most municipalities regulate lawn watering, especially during the summer, to conserve drinking water supplies. It is common for watering days to be determined by civic addresses (even days for even addresses, odd days for odd addresses), and for sprinklers or automatic systems to be allowed only at certain times, often outside of periods of high heat. Special rules usually apply to newly seeded or laid lawns, which may sometimes be watered more freely during the first few weeks.
Other Than Grass
For plantings other than lawns – such as flowerbeds, vegetable gardens or potted crops – watering restrictions are generally more flexible. Manual watering is often permitted at all times, but the use of sprinklers, soaker hoses or automatic irrigation systems may be governed by specific times and days. In most cases, these rules follow the same guidelines as those applicable to lawn watering. That’s why it’s important to check municipal bylaws before planning to irrigate your landscaping.
Even if you water manually, avoid watering in direct sunlight if possible, as up to 75% of the water will evaporate without even helping the plants! Watering before 10 a.m. is ideal. Also try to water without wetting the foliage of the plants, as this can cause fungal diseases. A soaker hose is the perfect solution for this, as the foliage always stays dry.
Have a great summer… and happy watering!
Larry Hodgson published thousands of articles and 65 books over the course of his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in Le Soleil on July 3, 2010.
Soil saturation was the topic for my gardening column this week. It is a common problem here because most landscapes are ‘maintained’ by so-called ‘gardeners’, who prefer to overwater everything than to risk desiccation. They do not pay for the water or the plant material that they kill with saturation. Because of the climate here, almost all landscapes have automated irrigation systems.