Tips for Economical Watering

Tips for Economical Watering

Advice from the Royal Horticultural Society with tips on economical watering:

”To make the most of water it pays to use it economically. It helps to understand the needs of plants and use techniques to prevent water loss from both plants and soil.

Know your plant’s watering requirement;

  • Established trees and shrubs do not generally need watering, as they have such wide-ranging roots that they are drought-proof. But their growth may be improved by watering when they are under drought-stress
  • Trees and shrubs planted less than five years ago have increased water requirements and may suffer drought-stress without watering
  • Newly sown or newly planted areas are very vulnerable to water-stress, and watering these should be high priority
  • Herbaceous perennials often need watering to boost their performance in hot, dry spells. Plant choice is crucial if you want to achieve a drought-proof border. See our advice on drought-resistant plants for more on plant choice
  • Edible produce yields and quality are greatly improved by watering at times when drought stress would affect the part of the plant that is gathered. Leafy crops such as lettuce and spinach should never be short of water. Onions require little or no watering. Most other crops need watering at sowing and transplanting time, and then again as the fruits, roots or tubers are developing. It is also a good idea to give a single, thorough watering about two weeks before harvest
  • Lawns require great quantities of water for thorough irrigation, and this is a questionable use of a scarce resource for any other than high quality lawns or sports turf. Instead of watering in dry periods, mow less closely and less frequently. Brown patches usually recover when the autumn rains return
  • Mulching with a layer of organic matter or gravel at least 5cm (2in) thick, or using opaque mulching sheets, reduces moisture loss from the upper layers of the soil. This may amount to as much as the equivalent of 2cm (0.75in) of rain
  • Removing weeds is vital, as weeds use up valuable soil moisture reserves
  • Planting new plants between autumn and spring gives them the best chance of growing roots before dry weather begins’

Source:  http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=312#section-4

Related links:

Royal Horticultural Society