When the weather is hot and dry, it's important to protect your plants and keep them healthy. Even established plants, like street trees, suffer from a dry summer, so get out there and water! Here are 7 water-wise tips to keep your plants hydrated and make watering your garden easy and effective.
Water early (before 8am) or late (after 7pm) to minimize evaporation.
Use soaker hoses, drip irrigation, and tree watering bags to slowly saturate the area, reduce runoff, and keep water off the foliage.
Water new plants, vegetables, and plants in containers as often as needed to keep plants healthy. This might mean daily, especially for new plants and containers.
Water shrubs and established plants deeply at least once a week.
Don’t forget your large trees! Water deeply every 2-4 weeks to help them survive.
Even if you let your lawn go dormant, water it deeply at least once a month so the grass doesn’t die out completely.
Mulch planting beds to retain moisture. Even an inch of compost helps!
For more in-depth watering information, read Best Watering Practices for your Northwest Garden.