NewGardenTalent
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Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 9:53 am
Location: New Jersey

How much to water?

I think I am watering my plants too long. How do I know I am watering my bushes and flowers properly?

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Well, unfortunately it depends on what you are growing, some things need a lot more water than others. Shrubs in general, because they will have bigger deeper roots (assuming they are not newly planted), should be watered longer/ deeper and then not watered for a long time. In fact, assuming in NJ, you were getting anything like the rain we were in Ohio, you should not have needed to water any established shrubs at all, the rain was doing that for you, though that may start to change now that we are in peak hot summer.

But really the only way to know is to check your soil. Before you water, dig down near your flowers, and see what the soil is like 3" down. The top few inches of soil should be drying out. If not, it is too soon to water. If it is, then water as usual. Wait just a few minutes for the water to settle, then dig down again (in a new spot). Now the soil should be moist (not muddy/soggy, but damp) at least 3 -4" down. If not, you did not water long enough.

Once you have checked like this a couple times, you will have a much better sense of how long to water your soil. Everyone's soil is different, everyone's watering system is different, so there is no way for anyone to tell you water for X minutes.

But some flowers are drought adapted and can dry out between waterings a lot more than others.



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