A guide to watering your lawn and garden
When it comes to watering plants, the best advice is simple: Water infrequently but deeply, and let the soil be your guide.
Some plants have greater water needs than others. Once established, for instance, California native plants and even some Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary and thyme don’t like much water. Roses and vegetables, however, are generally thirstier, and require consistent water.
To start, it’s best to group plants with similar water needs. For instance, don’t try to grow water-loving tomatoes and basil with rosemary, because there’s no way you can keep everybody happy, said Yvonne Savio, creator of the Gardening in L.A. blog and long-time director of the UC
Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program. “You need to create different zones, so plants with similar needs go together,” she said.
The bottom line: Water deeply one or two times a week instead of short spurts every other day, said Savio and professional gardener Lauri Kranz of Edible Gardens L.A. and author of “A Garden Can Be Anywhere.”
WATERING EDIBLES
Kranz usually plants in raised beds of untreated, unpainted wood (no wider than 4 feet so the middle is always within reach). She thinks drip irrigation is the best way to keep them watered. After she fills the beds with soil, she lays a half-inch irrigation hose on one end and strings quarterinch perforated hoses the length of the bed, 6 inches apart.
Water three times a week during spring and summer and adjust as needed, Don’t know how to tell if the soil is too wet or dry? Stick your finger in the soil. If it’s consistently moist 2 inches down, your plants are fine. If it’s dry, break out the hose.
Drip irrigation on a timer gives you consistent watering, but be sure to check your garden regularly to see whether it’s getting enough water, Kranz said. You may need to water more often when it’s especially hot.
Kranz generally uses organic potting soil and compost in her beds, along with an organic mulch, which keeps moisture in the ground longer. Savio also uses lots of compost in her soil and mulch on top as well as a thin (about a halfinch) layer of coffee grounds to help keep moisture in the soil. (She collects from local coffee shops.
Don’t put coffee grounds on too thickly, she said, because they can get crusty and repel water.)
Savio has developed an effective way of keeping her extensive vegetable garden watered. She has buried 5-gallon nursery buckets, drainage holes in the bottom, between her tomatoes and other vegetables. She fills the buckets a couple of times a week so the water drains slowly into the soil.
Choose buckets with thick, firm sides so they don’t buckle, and don’t forget the drainage holes in the bottom. Bury the buckets so their tops are about 4 inches above the soil, she said, to leave room for mulch. This also makes it less likely that lizards will fall in.
Most nurseries have an ample supply, Savio said, and sell them for a nominal fee, if they charge at all.
The buckets make fertilizing easy. Add a shovelful of manure to the water or add liquid fertilizers, following the directions on the label.
Already planted your garden? Savio suggests digging holes about a foot from your plants, until their roots become visible, which may be just a few inches down. Stop digging when you see the roots, she said, and place the bucket as far as you can into that shallow hole. The water will still go deeper than surface watering and allow you to add fertilizers.
WATERING LAWNS
Lawns get a bum rap for requiring too much water, said Jim Baird, a turf grass specialist at UC Riverside’s Turfgrass Research Facility. The problem isn’t with lawns, he says. They keep dust down and neighborhoods cooler, thus reducing energy costs.
The problem, Baird said, is the way people water their lawns. Think “deficit watering” rather than “optimum watering” to keep your water costs low and your lawns healthy, he said. Learn how to use your sprinkler timer