5 Tips for Watering Your Garden
Are you trying to have the best garden you’ve ever had this year?
The secret to a perfect garden is…
Having the perfect watering routine.
1) Follow a Schedule
Each and every plant has its own unique watering schedule. That’s why you should place each plant in groupings that are alike within your garden so you know which sections need water on which days.
In addition to knowing which days you should water, you should also be watering strictly in the early morning.
Watering midday can cause the sun to evaporate most of the water before it hits the roots. While watering toward the end of the day can cause fungus and lawn disease due to leftover water that isn’t absorbed or evaporated.
2) Roots Over Everything
When watering your plants, focus on the base of the plants and the soil — the roots are what need the water. Don’t waste your time watering the foliage, vegetables, etc.
Wetting them with the hose isn’t going to help them grow. In fact, doing this can actually hurt your plants by promoting the spread of disease.
3) The “Six-Inch” Rule
When you focus on watering the soil, you want to make sure you water deep enough — at least six inches deep into the soil to be exact!
This will allow the roots of your plants to grow deeper, which will help make your plants bigger, healthier, and less likely to die when they’re in severe need of water.
Under-watering your plants will cause them to have short roots, which will allow them to die more easily without periods of regular watering.
4) Don’t Overdo It
Follow the “six-inch” rule and you’ll be fine. However, if you aren’t timing your waterings and are carelessly overwatering your plants — they will die.
Overwatering plants can kill plants just as under-watering would. There’s a happy median you need to hit, but once you do find it you’ll be fine!
5) Make Sure Your Plumbing is Healthy
Make sure the outdoor faucet that you’re connecting your hose to is in good condition. This faucet can experience damage during winter — whether the faucet itself breaks and springs a leak or the pipe its attached to becomes cracked.
Obviously, if the faucet is leaking, you clearly need a plumber to help out. However, you won’t always see a leaking pipe if it’s behind a wall.
If you notice your water bill increasing, brown stains near that area of the house, or low water pressure — contact your local plumber to have this leak repaired.
Tending a garden during spring and summer is one of the best hobbies you can have — just make sure you’re doing everything right!
When it comes to the plumbing that you get your water from, leave any repairs to our plumbers here at Lancaster PHCE. Give us a call if your outdoor faucets are giving you issues this gardening season.
