KEEP YOUR GARDEN HYDRATED ALL SUMMER LONG

Watering your garden is very critical, especially during the hot summer months. Our growers put together the TOP TEN keys to watering to empower your Trees & Gardens to thrive through the summer, which leads to beautifully healthy fall landscapes and winter hardiness.

Watering habits today are the foundation for planting success. 

1. When you water, water WELL.

Far too often, when we water - we underwater. Growers always water to full saturation. Once the hoses are turned on, growers know fully saturating the soil is the key. 

2. When you water, it is not time to worry about overwatering. 

Overwatering is caused by repeated, regular daily watering, keeping plants always saturated for long periods of time. Your plant will tell you if it is overwatered when leaves are soft and limp.

Once you decide to water, water WELL. See #1.

3. When should you water? 

Deciding when to water is where the art of growing becomes so important. For newly planted trees and plants, watering is needed every day. We have the luxury of time between waterings for established trees and gardens.

Choosing when to water can depend on the weather. Sunny and hot days can cause quick and extreme water loss in plants. Windy days can dry plants down very quickly. Put wind, sun, and heat together, and watering may be needed daily. 

Great growers at home or in the nursery will watch for watering demands and conditions to spark the thoughts of watering. Limping, dried-out, and yellowing leaves are a good indicator that your plant is thirsty.

4. How to know when to water.

Growers and Gardeners are aware of the weather, and once they determine watering should be considered, they feel the soil - is there available water in the ground? Trust your touch; you will either sense the moisture, determine the dryness, or even the coming dryness. You don't want to let your plant go dry and wet and dry and wet again. Continuous, evenly moist soil is what plants desire. 

Choose to water when you're unsure- remember #1 - Water Fully, thoroughly, and deeply.

5. When to stop watering while you are watering?

Perhaps the most significant error in watering at home is under-watering. Newly planted trees require tremendous amounts of water, saturating the root ball almost every day. 

The NUMBER 1 cause of Tree or Plant loss is a result of underwatering - See #1 once more. 

6. Watering allows you to rest.

Enjoy the time between waterings once you have a successful deep watering that has fully saturated your tree and gardens. Full watering periods allow more time between waterings - giving you time to enjoy your garden's aesthetic just as much as the work. 

Weather conditions dictate watering schedules. Depending on rain, wind, and temperatures, you may have to water daily or every other day. Sometimes, this extends to multiple days between waterings if enough rainfall occurs at the right times. 

7. Learn how nature waters.

Growers recognize natural watering cycles. Thunderstorms sometimes deliver enormous amounts of water quickly and repeatedly. Generally, when a storm gives about an inch of rainfall, growers can rest knowing that nature has provided.

Growers work to follow nature's lead in watering schedules—lots of water and saturated soil water. 

8. Water doesn't always come gently. 

The force of rain can be beneficial for trees & plants, cleaning the dust from foliage and strengthening younger stems and branches. There is some benefit to aggressive watering that all growers know instinctively. 

Next time you water, be a little more nature-like and water with some force. Let your trees & plants know you are watering.

9. The joys of watering.

Perhaps the most therapeutic part of gardening is watering. Trees & plants respond to great waterers almost immediately. For growers and gardeners alike, there is nothing more peaceful than watering. 

Learn to see while watering. Soon, like professional growers, an unspoken water language develops between you and your trees & plants. 

10. Water doesn't necessarily fix wilting.

Sometimes plant wilting is simply from the current heat, even when there is ample soil moisture. 

Even well-watered gardens wilt from time to time. Notice if your plants are wilting during cool mornings or evenings, and if your plants are experiencing leaf burning in any way, then certainly this is from drying soils, and watering should take place asap. 

So THREE SIMPLE STEPS to follow this Summer:

1. Water Deeply
2. Water more often than not
3. Water with your eyes and instincts