22 May When and How to Water Your Plants

Installing new plants or helping your current ones thrive requires just the right amount of tender loving care or rather tender loving watering. Read on to learn more about when and how you should water your plants this summer.

When to Water

To determine if your plants need water, we recommend gently digging around the root zone with your fingers, 2-3” for small plants and 6-8” for larger plants and trees. If the soil feels dry to the touch, water is needed. If the soil feels moist, do not water.

It is important for the soil to dry out between waterings; otherwise, the plant’s health will deteriorate over time. A plant weakened by over-watering may die from oxygen deprivation or become susceptible to pests and disease. New plants should be checked more frequently for the first two weeks, but for all other plants follow these general guidelines:

FAQ: If it rains, do I still need to water my plants?

It depends. Sometimes the rainfall is enough to water your plants, but the best way to know is to feel the soil. However, during hot summer months and early fall, natural rainfall is not enough. Often, rain received during these periods produces mostly runoff and contributes little, if any, to yours plants needed water.

How to Water

The best way to water your plants is to place the hose at the base of the plant and let the water flow over the plant. For small plants, 2-5 minutes is ideal. Larger plants require more time, especially trees. Trees should be watered 15-20 minutes.

To help conserve ground moisture and prevent, to a degree, weed growth, maintain a 2-2.5” mulch layer. However, remember, excess amounts of mulch will result in poor air circulation and reduce plant vigor. To learn more about proper mulch techniques, read out blog about mulch applications.