Watering

Day 152
The Daily DuBrule

Boy, it's been really hot. The sun is intense and the plants are wilting during the day. When a plant in my garden wilts in the afternoon sun, I don't assume it needs to be watered. I assume it's hot, just like me. I monitor all newly planted annuals, vegetables, perennials, shrubs, and trees right now. If a plant has been in the ground for years and it is mulched, I don't worry about it until we have gone many weeks without rain. The reason I mention this is that last night I spoke to a woman who waters her entire garden every day. She really didn't believe me when I told her that wasn't necessary. I showed her how damp the soil was under a thick layer of mulch. I explained about watering less often and deeply to encourage the roots to search deep in the soil for water. I told her that daily shallow watering and no mulch causes the roots to come to the surface and the heat dries them out. She was making so much extra work for herself and not even growing sustainable, strong root systems.

Container gardens are another story. On hot days, they dry right out. They need to be watered every day in a heat wave. One of my tricks on a hot day is to water a container plant and then sit it in a saucer of water. The water wicks upwards during the heat of the day and I don't come home to wilted plants.