Proper Watering is the Key to Good Plant Growth
Tips for watering your lawn:
- Lawns need water not only during the hot, dry summer, but also in the spring and fall. When your grass begins to wilt, water thoroughly with one inch of water. This deep watering encourages grass roots to grow straight down, making your lawn less susceptible to disease and heat stress.
- The best time of day to water is in the early morning when evaporation rates are low and grass can dry completely. If you water in the evenings, the grass doesn't have enough time to dry, and excess moisture makes the lawn susceptible to disease.
- Never water “automatically.” Instead, pay attention to rainfall levels and adjust your watering schedule.
- Set sprinklers so that water falls only on your lawn and not on sidewalks, roads, or buildings. Adjust the water pressure to allow water to penetrate the soil without puddling or running off.
Tips for watering plants, shrubs and trees:
- Water after planting to jump-start root growth.
- For Hanging Baskets - water every day. You may wish to place another ground sitting container of plants under your hanging baskets to benefit from the run off of water and liquid fertilizer from above. Hanging baskets placed up high on pulleys makes lowering them for watering a breeze.
- Lack of water is one of the most common causes of tree damage and typically comes on slowly over a period of hot, dry summer months where your trees just didn’t get the water they needed. Unlike flowers, which wilt after a few days without water, older established trees don’t initially show signs of suffering. But by the end of summer, premature fall color—such as yellow-colored leaves on river birch and poplar trees or brown-colored sycamore leaves—are a good sign that your tree needs a deep watering. Add water to the root zone until the soil is moist to a depth of 6-12 inches.
- Yet another symptom of long dry spells or extreme windy conditions is the demise of a tree’s fine feeder roots, which often can’t replenish water as quickly as it’s lost through the foliage. A common result is “leaf scorch,” as evidenced by brown leaf tissue on the edges of leaves and between the main veins. Broad-leaf deciduous trees are especially susceptible to leaf scorch, so if you’re planning to replenish your yard with these trees next fall, plant them in areas protected from exposure to sun and wind.
- Water once when you first pot up your Amaryllis bulb, then sparingly until the sprout is well out of the bulb. Then water regularly, and you will soon be rewarded with the most spectacular blooms, 4 to 6 per stalk and 2 - 3 stalks depending on the size bulb planted.
- Water and fertilizer are key for container gardens. Plants in containers dry out much faster than those planted in the ground. You will most likely have to water your containers every day, but this is an excellent time to check them over and give them any other attention they may need to keep them looking their best. If you don't have the time to water every day, invest in a self-watering microtube system. Just place a tube into each container, poke holes in the tubes where you want the water to come out, attach it to your outside spigot and set the timer. Viola, a garden that waters itself
Tips for watering your garden:
- Before planting, water your plants and the soil in your bed well.
- Water well after planting and keep moist until the plants are established and new growth has started.
- If the weather turns dry, you will need to be able to water your garden. This should not be done during the hottest part of the day as this could possibly ruin the plants and vegetables. Do not enter the garden directly after watering it. Touching and moving the plants while they are still wet from watering can increase the chance of mildew.
- To water vegetable and flower gardens containing tall plants that may otherwise block the spray, set sprinklers on a sawhorse, or use a tower-mounted sprinkler.
- Water your garden before plants show signs of wilting. Wilting stresses plants and may cause flower and fruit loss and poor growth.
DIY is easy with Agway! Visit your local Agway store for hoses, sprinklers, nozzles and all your watering needs.
Be sure to check back to www.agway.com for more information, projects and tips. Visit your local Agway where you'll find everything you need, year-round, for your home, lawn, garden, farm, pet and wild birding needs. Each Agway location is independently owned and operated and as such products and pricing vary by store.