How to Water and Measure for Plants
Knowing how and how much to water your plant is perhaps one of the biggest mysteries of gardening. Although your plants can certainly die from not receiving enough water, they can also perish because of too much. Finding the balance between the two makes the difference between a healthy plant and one that's destined for compost. Properly watering your plant and determining how much it needs is relatively simple and will likely provide vibrant vegetation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Stick your finger down into the soil near the base of the plant. Stop when you get to your second knuckle. Pull your finger out of the soil and take a look at it. If you see soil stuck to your finger, then you know it is adequately hydrated. If not, then it's time to give the thirsty plant a drink. Because an established plant's absorbing feeder roots spread about 1.5 to 3 times the width of the plant's canopy, it's important to water all around the plant and not just around its base. In fact, the plant absorbs more water outside that canopy drip line than it does around the base. Water that entire root zone area each time you hydrate your plant to ensure it keeps a healthy root system, unless you have a newly installed plant. Until the plant is established, which usually takes a few years, you should water around the root ball until its roots have grown out, then start to expand out to the drip line.
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Stick a metal rod into the ground close to the plant as soon as you are done watering. The metal rod will slide easily through wet soil and stop or become more difficult to push when it hits dry soil. With this test you can determine how far down into the soil the water has reached. The soil should be moist 12 inches down for annuals, vegetable and grass; 12 to 24 inches for shrubs and perennials and 28 to 36 inches for trees. Use a ruler to measure where the soil occurs on the rod, unless your rod comes pre-marked.
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Pour the water only as fast as the plant can absorb it. If you see water begin to puddle on the surface of the plant, slow down the flow rate. Watering too fast can cause erosion and compacts the soil surface. Stop watering when the water comes out of the bottom of the planter, if you have the plant in a pot. Or stop after 5 minutes and insert the rod into the soil again.
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Check the moisture level of the dirt with the rod. If the soil that is stuck to the bottom of the rod is moist, you know that you have to water your plant for 5 minutes in order for it to reach its proper moisture level. If the soil is still dry, continue to water for another 2 to 3 minutes and check the levels again.
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Water the plant again when you perform the finger test and the soil is dry. Newly installed and young plants typically require watering more often than older plants. After plants are established and have been in the ground for a year or two, they typically grow the best when given a few days to dry out; therefore, check the plant every two or three days and water it according to your findings in the rod test.
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Tips & Warnings
Water your plants in the morning or at night when temperatures are at their lowest. Doing so reduces the amount of water evaporation.
References
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