How to Water Plants

How to Water Plants

It goes without saying that water is essential to keeping your garden plants, flowers and lawn looking great. What’s the right amount? When should you water? Safer® Brand offers these tips and more to help your plants and lawn thrive throughout the season.

Watering Basics

  • How Much? — The cardinal rule of watering is this: Water the soil in your garden or lawn completely once a week. A few minutes of surface watering isn’t enough to sufficiently water your garden. There must be enough water to soak down through the soil to where the roots are.
  • Establishing a Plant — New plantings need to be watered daily for several weeks, to initiate root growth. This is especially important for shrubs and trees. Once they are established, be careful not to over-water. You can do them more harm by over-watering them than by under-watering them!
  • Watering Timing — Morning hours are preferable so the water has time to sink in before the heat and sun causes a lot of evaporation.
    Watering in the evening after the heat of the day will also work for most plants.
    If you plan to water in the evening, make sure you give the plants and soil enough time to dry before dew forms in the night. Late afternoon to early evening is preferable. If the soil is wet for too long, it may allow fungal spores to germinate and thrive.
  • Soil Condition — Healthy soil retains moisture better then soil treated with synthetic fertilizers. Using a fertilizer such as Safer® Brand Lawn Restore and Concern® Weed Prevention Plus® will provide your soil with the essential nutrients necessary to allow your soil to retain more moisture.
Sprinklers provide a thorough watering of your plants. They also save you from trip after trip with a watering can. Sprinklers provide a thorough watering of your plants. They also save you from trip after trip with a watering can.

What to Use

  • Hose or Watering Can? — Watering with a sprinkler or irrigation-type hose is a great start to a healthy organic garden. While a watering can may be sufficient for watering a plant or two, using it can be a chore. Instead, you’ll find it much easier to use a sprinkler or irrigation hose than all those trips to the faucet to refill the watering can.
  • Retaining Moisture — Spreading grass clippings and mulch on the soil will also help to preserve moisture.

Where and How to Water

  • Focus on the Base —Generally, plants need to be watered at the base and the water must be enough to soak into the soil for the roots to soak up.
  • Slow Down — Watering your plants too fast will cause soil runoff and with that soil goes valuable nutrients and beneficial insects, essential to a healthy organic garden.
  • Leave the Leaves Alone — A light misting of the leaves occasionally can be beneficial, especially for houseplants but too much water on the leaves can promote fungal blights or increase the risk of phototoxicity (burning) in outdoor plants.

What are Your Watering Tips?

Are we missing any important tips to watering your vegetable garden, flowerbeds or lawn? Share them with us the next time you visit Safer® Brand on Facebook. For even more yard and garden tips, subscribe to the Safer® Brand E-newsletter, which also includes links to the yard and garden supplies you need.

  Canada

Visit Our
Canadian Store