Water your plants

Quick Guide To Watering

At the time of writing it hasn’t rained for almost 6 weeks and the soil is looking very dry. Dry soil obviously has a massive effect on the success of your plants. If they don’t have enough water they’ll start to wilt and die. Plants need water in order to absorb nutrients from the soil. Smaller or newer plants are most at risk because they don’t have the established root network in place to reach the moisture held deeper in the earth.

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Extreme weather conditions

It seems to be getting more and more common that at some point in the year the UK is going to have a heatwave and obviously you’ll have change the way that you water you plants to accommodate the heat. The problem with sustained lack of rain is that the water table (the water in the ground) recedes. This means that there is less water available to the plant in the ground. If it hasn’t rain for long enough the water you give your plants could be the only water they’re getting.

We advise water you plants for between 30min to 1hour when it’s really hot.

If you want to know whether you doing it right go back a half hour after watering your plant and dig a 8inch hole nearby. If the soil in the hole is moist, but not wet, you’ve nailed it. If it’s dry you need to up the amount of time that you’re watering for.

When should you water your garden?

You can normally tell if you need to water by the colour of the soil, it’ll be paler and grey. However, to get a really accurate look at whether your soil needs watering or not, the best thing to do is dig down a spade's depth and take a look at how damp the soil is lower down. You’ll be able to tell whether it is just the top of the soil that is dry or the whole spade's depth. If the soil underneath is dark and damp it probably doesn’t need watering.

Watch out for clay soils because they can feel damp even when all the available moisture has been used up. The opposite is true for sandy soils, that can feel dry even when there is available water. The only way to tell, unfortunately, is by trial and error. You have to work out what dry clay soil and wet sandy soil feel like, and how it affects your plants.

With potted plants you’ll be able to tell by the colour of the potting medium. However, be careful not to overwater your potted plants. I normally just stick my finger into the soil, if I can feel moisture I don’t water.

If you pay attention to your plants, usually they’ll tell you if they need watering. Discolouring of the leaves, wilting, even getting a bit crispy on the tips (but you’re probably a bit late by that time) are all signs to look out for.

Best time of day to water plants

Try and do your watering either in the morning or the evening, this way the water will have more chance to make its way down into the soil before the sun evaporates it.

How often should I water new perennials?

Unless there is heavy rain it is advised to water newly planted perennials every 2 days if you have dry or sandy soil and every 4 days if you have wet or clay soil.

Quite often people think because it has rained they don’t need to water. This isn’t always the case. New planting needs a good inch of water a week which means a good long heavy rainfall. Otherwise - water, water, water!

How often to water new shrubs.

Newly planted shrubs may need watering more regularly. As much as every day in the first week if it is very hot and dry, and after that 2-3 times a week, maybe more depending on the conditions. Water well, soaking the ground directly at the base of the plant. Newly planted plants only have small root system to begin with so you can be quite targeted with your watering.

Should I water my plants in the winter?

If there has been a prolonged dry period or drying winds then probably yes. Although plants are dormant they still can still require watering a few times a month in order to perform their basic metabolic functions. Check and see if the soil is dry a few inches down. If it has been raining heavily or there has been heavy snowfall you may not need to water. Also there is little point in watering when the ground is frozen as the water will run off. Wait for the ground to thaw and then water.

How often should I water my lawn?

There is hot debate about whether we should water lawns due to the vast amount of water it takes to keep a green sward. If you do need to keep your grass green then try spiking your lawn before watering to allow water to filtrate in to the soil. Consider watering every 7 to 10 days to a depth of 4 inches.

During periods of drought it is recommended to conserve water and not water your lawn. It may go brown but it will recover as soon as it starts raining again. Instead give your grass a longer cut. This avoids damaging the grass and encourages roots to grow deeper. You might consider leaving short clipping on the lawn to act as a mulch and help to conserve water.

How often to water new grass.

If you have just had turf installed it is important to keep it well watered. This will help the grass get established. You should be watering your new grass daily for 2 - 4 weeks. You only have to do this during hot dry weather. Don’t water during wetter weather because it is possible to over water grass.

If growing grass from seed you should water regularly. Keep the top 2 inches of the soil moist but not sopping wet. Water whenever the soil feels dry but try to avoid pools of water on the surface.

How much should you water your garden.

When you are watering your garden it’s important not to under water it. If you use the method “little but often” you’ll find it will encourage your plant to grow surface roots, rather that deep roots. Surface roots leave plants susceptible to drought because water will evaporate from the soil surface during hot weather. Instead make a single thorough watering of the plants that are suffering.

Beware however, when you are watering in areas where drainage is poor. Roots need a certain amount of airflow to survive. By over-watering soil with poor drainage you might fill the pores, stop the airflow and drown the plant. If the soil is wet or waterlogged - don’t water.

Sandy soil needs more frequent watering but less water can be applied. Heavy clay soil needs less frequently watering but a more water can be applied.

Different ways of watering

Sprinklers - are mainly used on lawns. They are not regularly used for anything else. Depending on the size of your garden, I probably would consider them. They can be attached to a hose pipe or you can have specially built automated sprinkler irrigation fitted which pops up from your lawn to water at set times. There is some debate on whether watering a lawn is a good idea. Consider if you live in an area where rainfall can support a lawn. If not, maybe consider an alternative.

Watering can - (old faithful) should be aimed at the base of the plant. Good for watering specific plants or pots but for bigger flower beds that need a lot of watering this might not be the best… You’re going to get sick off going back and forth filling the thing up. Good for small areas or an individual plant.

Hosepipe -  delivers a good amount of directed water and is great for watering individual plants or small areas of planting. It’s a good idea to get a nozzle for your hose so you can control the application of water. The good thing about the hose is you can move it around the garden easily to get water where you need it. When you’ve finished, just pack it away until you need it again.

Porous pipe - is a fitted irrigation system that sits on or under the soil. There are a lot of different types but in essence they are all pipes with little holes that let water trickle out at a steady rate (… maybe a little more complicated than that). This takes all of the effort out of watering your plants because you can operate them for one fixed spot in your garden. I’d only really recommend this if you’ve got a sizable garden and always have it put in by someone who knows how.

This is a guide only. Every garden is different and much you should water it will depend on you. Please use at your own discretion

Find out more about the soil in your garden in our article on Garden Soil