Watering Techniques

1. How long since transplanting?  Newly planted plants require more frequent watering than established plants.  Begin to cut back the frequency after 2 to 3 weeks as the plant roots start growing out into the surrounding soil and the above ground portion of the plant shows strong signs of new growth.
    
2. How hot and windy is it?  Heat and wind cause increased water loss by plants.  When daytime temperatures move into the 80s, water newly transplanted plants every other day.  Once the air temperature hits the 90 degree mark, check the plants morning and evening, looking for wilted leaves as an indicator of dryness.  Initially, a daily watering will be needed for small plants.
    
3. How deep did that last rain soak the soil?  Rain amounts can be deceiving.  Always stick a shovel into the ground after a rain and do a visual check as to how deeply the water soaked into the soil.  The soil needs to be damp at least 4 inches deep to do new transplants any good.
    
4. What pot size was the plant grown in?  Small perennials and bedding plants transplanted from 4 or 6 packs and 4" pots will need more frequent irrigation than 1 or 5 gallon sized trees.  Do not water 4" and 5 gallon plants on the same schedule as they have entirely different requirements.
    
5. Have the plants been mulched?  Mulching plants can cut watering frequency in half! For example, if you were to mulch, daily watering would be reduced to every other day, twice weekly instead of every other day, etc.
    
6. What type of soul do you have?  Compost enriched soils hold more water in the root zone than unprepared soils.  Clay and loam type soils hold more water than sandy soils.  Sandy soils dry out very quickly and plants will need very frequent irrigation when first planted.  Also keep in mind that when climate conditions are very dry, extra water is needed to replace moisture lost to the dry soil surrounding the planting hole.

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