Use Water Wisely

Even last year when we had plenty of rain in the spring, it didn’t take long for the soil to dry out during June when the sun was high in the sky. Even a few days without rain is enough to make your plants flag, especially those growing in containers and baskets, and the temptation is to start splashing water around, and this spring has been the driest for years, so the prospect for the summer is starting to look bleak. It is important to be wise about the application of water, not just to conserve it, but because it generally benefits the plants in the long run. As a rule, the more water plants receive, the more soft growth they make, particularly when combined with high levels of nitrogen in the form of fertiliser. But soft leaf growth has a huge capacity to lose moisture from the surface and the plant has to suck in water from the ground to compensate for it. You can overcome this dependence on water by toughening up plants through giving them higher levels of potash, rather than nitrogen, but I’m not too keen on doing this as it tends to harden the wood too much. So when you water them, it pays to give a good long soak rather than a quick sprinkle over the surface. Applying plenty of water allows it to penetrate more deeply where the roots will be encouraged to grow down to the cool, moist soil, whereas a quick spray will barely wet the top soil, causing roots to grow at the surface where they are more prone to drying out. You can try this out for yourself by watering a can full over an area of dry soil, then dig down to see how far it has soaked in. You will be surprised, as a whole watering can full will barely wet down more than a quarter of an inch. As there is a hosepipe ban, using a free-standing hose sprinkler is out of the question, so if you water your plants with a can, you will have to use at least one can per plant if they are large. With pots or hanging baskets the best way is to dunk them in a large container right up to the rim. You will see bubbles coming from the surface. Keep the pot submerged until the bubbles stop.