Think back to summers when you were a child and recall the almost magnetic allure of the local swimming hole or town pool; remember a thirst you've felt after a couple of sets of tennis or coming down the home stretch at the end of a 10K race, the August heat beating down hard. Now imagine not being able to get to the water yourself---that instead, someone must bring it to you. Well, that's precisely the situation plants are in, which leaves it up to the gardener or homeowner to make sure the lawn, vegetable and/or flower beds, shrubs, and trees all have enough of what they need most---sweet, life-giving water. Here's how.
The first question most gardeners have is, how much water is enough? Well, obviously different plants vary in their moisture requirements, and even the same plant will differ in its needs depending on the soil in which it's planted, the weather, and the season. But to the extent that generalizations can be made, an inch of water per week during the growing season is a good benchmark for most gardeners in temperate North America. Younger plants need shallower, more frequent waterings; older plants benefit from fewer, deeper waterings (they encourage roots to search deeply for water), but the overall quantity should be about the same.
To get a good handle on how much water an inch per week is, a rain gauge is a valuable tool. Place the rain gauge in an inconspicuous but representative location in your garden and use it not only for measuring actual rain, but also for measuring the volume of water you apply yourself. This will help you translate the time you spend with a hose and wand, or the number of watering cans you pour, or the amount of time a sprinkler or mister is on into water volume, providing you a reference you can use elsewhere in the garden.
So how do you get water to your plants? If nature provides it, that's great. But if not, then you need to take matters into your own hands. In much the same way that you might have a set of barbecue tools or a pail of supplies for washing and waxing your car, it's a good idea to assemble a purposeful kit of watering essentials for the kind of gardening you do, whether it's a small patch of lawn you maintain or acres of ornamental trees, shrubs, and perennial beds. The key is assessing your situation, buying just what you need, and buying the best.
For a couple of pots of annuals, a good-quality, large-capacity watering can will take care of all your watering needs. Make sure it holds at least 6 qt., but no more than 12 qt., or it will be too heavy to carry comfortably. Also, it should be made of either heavy-gauge, UV-resistant plastic or galvanized or enameled steel. Finally, it should be well balanced and have a removable rose (the perforated spout), so that you can use the can without the rose if need be. Two of the most respected manufacturers of watering cans (and other watering gear) are the English firm Haws and Dramm.
For all but the smallest gardens, however, a watering can---though essential---is not the primary water-delivery system. Rather, that's the role of the hose and watering wand, the everyday workhorse combo that makes keeping even a large garden watered a manageable task. A good-quality hose is a lifetime investment, or nearly so, so don't skimp. It should be nonkinking, at least 5/8 in. in diameter, with brass fittings and a rubber washer so it doesn't leak at the faucet end.
A watering wand consists of three basic parts: an on-off valve, an extension tube, and a breaker that converts a steady stream of water into a gentler pattern of droplets much like a watering can's rose does. A good wand will have either a sturdy brass on-off valve or a locking plastic valve, as well as a removable breaker, so it can be cleaned of water-borne sediment, which will tend to clog the breaker over time.
But what about all that hose paraphernalia---hose guides, and reels, and so forth? Well, they can make your garden neater and your life in the garden easier. And the first time you break off all the aboveground growth of a mature perennial while tugging a hose around a corner you'll have your credit card out and be on the phone ordering hose guides before the poor plant's stem has calloused.
The key, again, is to recognize your gardening needs and habits and to accommodate them. Some gardeners can't bear seeing a hose snaking across the lawn, so a reel or hose bowl in which the hose can live when it's not in use may be a perfect solution. For others the very idea of having to drag a hose in and out every day will seem absurd---the hose is just one more fixture of summer in the garden, happily and unselfconsciously hanging out with the watering can, spade, fork, trowel, hoe, and wheelbarrow.
What sprinklers, misters, and soaker hoses have in common is that they apply a predictable amount of water to a prescribed area in a given amount of time. That, and they save you time. Sprinklers are the most common of the three, but there are good reasons for the increasing popularity of misting systems and soaker hoses. Sprinklers are very effective at delivering a good drenching, making them excellent for starting new lawns, getting new garden beds off to a healthy start and such. But lots of water is lost to evaporation with sprinklers, and in many parts of the country, concern about the increasing demand on the water supply has heightened---particularly with drought conditions having become more common. Overhead watering also increases the danger of fungal diseases with many shrubs, flowers, and vegetables. Misting systems and soaker hoses, on the other hand deliver water where it's needed, at plants' "feet," reducing both the amount of evaporative loss and the risk of fungal disease. Still, there's nothing like a sprinkler for establishing new garden beds or lawns---both have a place in the gardener's watering toolbag.
The next step up in terms of convenience and efficiency (you can be on vacation in another country while your garden is getting watered, after all) is a sprinkler or mister system on a faucet-mounted timer. Timers vary in cost and complexity, from simple, inexpensive mechanical timers that work like kitchen timers to sophisticated electronic timers that can be programmed differently for every day of the week and that will turn the water on and off several times each day. But more---in terms of features or functions---is not necessarily better; it's all a matter of personal preference and habits.
For someone who's going to be around while a sprinkler is running, a simple, mechanical timer is generally more than adequate and will perform one of a timer's most important (don't laugh) functions: It will free you from having to remember that the system is on, eliminating the possibility of running your well dry or flooding your garden. But if you're juggling work, shopping, cooking, kids' activities, and, oh yes, gardening---or if you're ever planning on taking a summer vacation---then a timer you can program starts to seem like a bargain.
The reason for being concerned about watering at all is because nature is not neat and frugal in her administration of water---months of drought can be followed by hurricane-spawned flooding. There's little you can too about too much water, but there are steps you can take to reduce the pain of having too little. One of the most effective things you can do is to mulch your plants with a thick layer of organic material---leaf mold, bark chips, or compost all work well. Mulch retains moisture, making whatever rain (or water that you apply) last longer and work more effectively. Just keep the mulch a couple of inches back from your plants' stems to prevent rot.
You can also water early in the morning so the moisture you provide has a chance to percolate down into the soil before the heat of the day starts to evaporate it. Watering in the late afternoon is second best to early morning watering, but plants are more capable of taking up water in the morning, as temperatures are rising, than they are in the afternoon. Also morning watering reduces the likelihood of fungal disease, the chances of which are increased if plants "go to bed" wet.
Perhaps the most significant step you can take, though, is to choose naturally drought-tolerant plants. Because of the protracted droughts in California over the past couple of decades, xeriscaping, or landscaping with drought-tolerant plants, has become such a standard practice there that there are now quite a number of magnificent gardens that receive no supplemental water whatsoever. In an era of increasing population density and more dramatic weather patterns---including droughts---xeriscaping looks to be more than a passing fad. (For those who are interested, books on the subject are available. Check with your local library.)
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