Flowers growing in the garden require three key things to keep them looking wonderful. Removal of pests and weeds, food and nutrients and the right amount of water. Out of these three the one that people generally make the most mistakes with is watering. To help those flowers flourish here are some tips to watering your garden plants.
1) Water flowers in the right location. If you spray your flowers with a hose, the water on the leaves and flowers can encourage mould and pests as well as damage the blooms and leaves.
2) Focus the water on the soil bed as to allow the water to soak into the roots but do not over water your flowers. To much water can drown the roots and cause them to rot. A good test for knowing if your plants need watering is with a small trowel or your hand dig down into the soil between 2-4 inches. If its dry at the bottom you need to water your plants with about and inch or two of water.
3) To water the plants try to use anything other than a hose. A watering can, dispersal head for the hose or a soaking hose work best as it won’t disturb the soil and expose the roots. Use an action that mimics that of natures rainfall, allow the water to soak in before adding more to avoid water accumulations around the base of the plant.
4) Know your soil. A light soil will need watering more regularly then a heavy soil or one rich in clay
5) Never water at the hottest point in the day or late into the evening or nighttime. Watering at the hottest point leads to the water evaporating to quickly before it has had chance to soak where as at night time the water doesn’t evaporate quickly enough leading to excessive accumulation.
6) Mature plants of the plant bed will need less water than younger or new additions this is because these new additions expend a lot of energy establishing a healthy root system and need more water for the first 2/3 weeks of their planting.
7) Finally if your soil is drying out to quickly and not holding its moisture try adding mulch to help it retain that vital water.
