Plant Care Information
Watering Methods:
Hand watering with a watering wand is the most effective method, that way you can deliver as much water as possible right over the root ball and surrounding soil.
If hand watering isn’t an option:
Sprinklers – A good way to soak an entire bed of plants, particularly beds with a high number of annuals and perennials. You should let your sprinkler run long enough to give your garden bed one inch of water.
Soaker hoses – A good way to water garden bed or row plants. The hose should cover all sides of the plants and run long enough to thoroughly soak the root ball and surrounding soil. For plants that are 18+ inches tall, let the sweating-type soaker hose run for at least four hours during hot, dry weather.
Gator bags – A good way to water trees during the hottest and driest months. They hold up to 20 gallons of water and are secured to the trunk of a tree to slowly release water to the root ball over a 15-20 hour period of time.
Watering:
Check the soil for moisture before you water!
It usually takes a full year for a plant’s root system to become well established. Until then, you must check the moisture of the soil near the root ball to determine if you need to water or not.
Dig into the root ball and surrounding soil (about five inches) and use your fingers to feel the moisture level.
If the soil is dry, thoroughly water until the root ball and soil are wet. Deep watering like this encourages roots to take deeper hold in the soil and allows the plant to better withstand droughts.
If the soil is wet, do not water. Cover it up again and check again another day.
Once you saturate the root ball and surrounding coil, do not water again until the soil is dried out once more.
Tips:
Different plants dry out at different rates, so it is necessary to check each one before watering. It is a good idea to keep track of your watering activity so you can determine how quickly your soil dries out, decide if you need to apply more water each time or not, and create a watering schedule to help you keep track of what each plant needs and when.
Wilted leaves do not indicate that a plant needs watered, as they can also be a sign of over-watering, so it is important to check the soil.
For plants in the ground:
Summer – Check soil moisture every 2-3 days for small plants and 3-5 days for bigger plants and trees.
Spring & Fall – Check soil moisture ever 3-5 days.
Plants in the shade of trees will dry out faster due to competition with the larger tree roots, so check those more often and adjust watering schedule as needed.
Check container plants and handing baskets every day. Add a water-grabbing polymer like Soil Moist to help reduce the frequency of watering. These work by absorbing the excess water that would usually drain through and releasing the water when the roots dry out again.