Make a Plan:
Summer is a great time for fast growth in trees, shrubs, and especially perennials. One way to ensure they have everything they need to take off, is consistent watering. Especially if they are newly planted. Most newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennial plants need around an inch of water a week:
- Check that your outdoor spigots and hoses are ready and working property
- Time out how long it takes to water all the plants in your yard that need it by hand, and consider the aid of soaker hoses or drip line irrigation if you don’t already have it.
- Pay special attention to those plants planted in south facing & western facing beds, as those will get the most direct sunlight at the hottest parts of the day. Don’t forget to note any windy areas as those can also dry out faster.
- Keep any eye on the weather forecast and plan to provide supplemental watering to get through particularly hot or dry conditions.
- If you plan to take vacations away from home, set up timers and hoses to water in your absence – or else hire or enlist neighbors to keep an eye on things while you are away.
Water Early and Water Deeply:
- Summer’s biggest struggle is ensuring there is ample water for plants to not just survive, but thrive.
- Watering is best done in the early morning, before things get hot. Try to give the plantings a good soaking, rather than watering in short shallow bursts.
- Plants that receive deep and infrequent soakings become better rooted in the soil and better able to withstand drought conditions when they occur. Shallow rooted plants can also topple over easier as they don’t have a good footing in the ground.
Water the Roots, Not the Foliage:
- It can be tempting to use a sprinkler system on your ornamental plants, which are common use for lawns. These are not designed for shrubs and perennials and spray most of the water on the leaves of the plant. Not only does this mean the plant can’t get access to that water, but combined with the warm temperatures of summer – can promote fungal growth and other problems with your ornamental plantings.
- One of the reasons we recommend watering in the morning is so any excess water that accidentally makes it on the foliage, has time to evaporate before nightfall.
