Garden plants can be a lot of fun, and an exciting time for families to do something together in the summer. Yet, knowing when to water you garden plants is a very important factor. Learning what type of soil is in your garden may very well be a starting point, because gardens can have very dry, and hard soil, while other gardens have a softer type of soil.
Some tips that may help in knowing when to water your garden include touching the soil in the garden area. Wet an area in the garden to check if the soil is sandy, clayish, or hard. Many times clay like soil tends to absorb water towards the clay and not drain towards the root of a plant, making it very hard for plants to absorb any water. On the other hand, sandy soil has the capacity of letting water flow easier, but also drains nutrients that can be beneficial for the plants. For these reasons, it is best to learn what type of soil you are working with.
When the soil in a garden is not the best soil to work with, there are solutions such as using compost to mix the dirt already in your garden. Of course, it is great if you are in the beginning stages of planning your garden, and you know the soil may already need some help, but if this is not the case, you can still work with it. Mixing some compost into your sandy or clay type soil, can help keep your garden plants moist for longer periods of time. Depending on the size of a garden, compost can be bought at a nursery or other stores that have gardening departments.
The first 6 to 8 inches of the depth of the soil are what you need to be aware of when you want to make sure that your garden plants are not stressing for water. After watering your garden, watch and see how long it takes for the water to be fully absorbed. Depending on the weather it may be much faster on a very hot day. You may want to put some pressure on the soil with your hand, just to see if it still feels damp, or practically dry. This may give you an idea how fast water is being absorbed.
Never try to drown your garden plants by over watering…this is not necessary…even on very hot days. This can cause roots to surface, create fungi, and can drown your plants. Droopy leaves don’t necessarily mean that plants are lacking water, because plants also conserve water in stressful temperatures.
Once your plants have grown to it’s maturity level, less watering is necessary. Soil that is damp on the surface may be sufficient to keep the plants healthy. Watering your garden plants is best when temperatures are cool, for example, in the morning before the sun is too bright, and late evenings. The whole idea is to prevent less water from evaporating due to hot temperatures, and using less water being absorbed due to very dry soil.
Depending on the size of your garden, it may require a little adapting to certain watering gadgets, such as sprinklers, or hoses that may help in timing, and maintaining a healthy, and beautiful garden.
