954 How To Videos
How to Water Plants in Your YardBy: Julie Day
For plants in your yard to grow and flourish, they need the right about of water on a regular basis. When watering plants in your yard:
- Plants in your yard should receive at least 1” of water per week.
- Use a rain gauge (or straight sided container), located outdoors in the open, to keep up with the amount of rainfall or water from irrigation that you receive.
- Water outdoor plants in pots or containers every day during hot, dry weather.
- An extension wand attached to a hose is a great way to water plants.
- It doesn’t hurt a plant to get the leaves wet, unless you live in a humid climate where it could cause fungus.
Watch this video to find out more.
- Watering Tips (video)
- How to Water Your Lawn (video)
- Home Irrigation How-To (article)
- Water-Saving Gadgets for Your Lawn or Garden (article)
- How to Calculate Lawn Irrigation Water Usage and Costs (article)
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Danny Lipford: Julie we all know water is very important to the health of plants, but how do you know how much water to water each plant?
Julie Day: It can be really hard to tell. Containers like this one can dry out in a matter of hours if you’re having a heat wave, but definitely you’re going to need water everyday or two during the summer. For the plants that are out in your yard, planted in the soil; you really need to make sure you know how much water they’re already getting.
Danny: I got you.
Julie Day: Here’s a great way to do that. A simple rain gauge like this one has straight sides that allow the rain to fall right in. It will measure the amount of rainfall that comes. You can leave it out for a week. For most plants – for lawns, vegetable gardens, flowers – one inch of water per week is what you’re looking for.
Danny: Oh, I see, OK.
Julie: So if it comes out short, you can head out with the hose or the sprinkler and add a little extra.
Danny: And add a little supplement to it. But now, as far as – I see people running around their yards with these little watering cans – that sure seems like the wrong way to do it. You’ve got a nicer way of doing it there.
Julie: Oh, I love these – they’re long, you can reach high for hanging plants, you can reach out into the garden – they’re wonderful. They also target just where you want the water.
Danny: Now what about where you want the water? I mean I’ve heard that there’s a problem if you get water on all of the leaves and everything. Is that true?
Julie: That’s actually a myth.
Danny: Is that right?
Julie: It won’t really hurt them to get them wet. Now, if you have a lot of humidity in your area, repeatedly wetting the leaves can lead to a buildup of humidity that can cause fungus and disease; so it’s usually better to keep them dry, but it won’t hurt them, especially if they’re dusty, to give them a rinse off.
Danny: That makes sense. Now you mentioned earlier in the show about mulch being a great barrier for weeds, what about the retainage of moisture?
Julie: Mulch is great for retaining moisture. You know, you can add water all day long; but what you have to learn how to do is keep it there. Mulch is one of the great ways to keep water in the soil that will be available to your plants.