Casey Lawn Gardening And Maintenance Services
Plant Type
The type of plant you’re dealing with will dictate how much water they will need. Succulents and other drought-tolerant plants that have extensive root systems and store water and moisture are naturally able to retain water better and do not require much water to survive. Other plants that are not so drought tolerant will need to be greater quantities of water on a much more frequent basis, particularly in hotter conditions. The needs work both ways as there’s no better way of killing a succulent than with over-watering, which will rot the root system. More people kill cacti with the “kindness” of over-watering than from any other reason.
Plants that are large or are newly planted will also require more water as they will need plenty of moisture and nutrients to establish themselves and grow. Plants with shallow root systems such as vegetables or most perennials will also need more frequent watering because they don’t have the reservoirs of water storage, nor the deep roots through which they can obtain water from deep within the soil.
Climate
Australia’s climate can differ vastly depending on where you are live.
Marble Bar, WA holds the record for the longest running heatwave in Australia with 161 consecutive days over 37.8.C and is known for reaching temperatures of 42 degrees by 9am! By comparison on the cooler and rather frostier side is Liawenee, Tasmania, where on average there are 142 days a year below freezing and only 0.7 days a year reach above 30 degrees! The difference is amazing, but that’s what you get when you have a country the size of a continent, albeit the world’s smallest. As you can imagine, if the same plants were planted in both of these areas, different amounts of water and care would be required in order to help them survive.
Soil Condition
If you live in coastal areas, or in regions that are affected by sandy soils, your plants will need more watering. It’s difficult for sandy soils to retain water so they’ll quickly dry out, and the nutrients can drain from the soil quite easily, slowing starving your plants of food. In cases of sandy soil, it is always advisable to apply mulch over the garden beds. This will help sandy soils to retain moisture and inhibit nutrients lost to the air too.
Season
The general rule is that no matter what the time of the year, in hot temperatures you will need to water more, as the sun will suck all the moisture from the ground and plants, leaving them thirsty and prone to heat stroke and sun damage. On cold days the soil will better retain its moisture, as the sun will evaporate less liquid. Frequent rainfall and dew also helps watering to be kept at a minimum.
But the seasons have an impact on us as well. We all know that each of the four seasons have different conditions and weather patterns – from the scorching heat of summer, to the regular frosts of winter. When it’s cold and wet don’t seem to drink as much as when it’s hot and humid.
But nevertheless some people thrive in heat, while others wilt. Some people love the cold while others just want to hibernate. The same variations in character apply to our plants.
Consider also that summers aren’t always dry and winters aren’t always wet, even though these are the conditions that the majority of Australians are used to. There are climatic zones where the summers are wet, or monsoonal, and the winters are dry. “Hot” and “dry” aren’t synonyms, nor are “cold” and “wet”.
With all the different conditions that have an impact on our gardens, watering can become confusing and devising an optimal watering strategy can be a bit overwhelming. You might now be desperately trying to wrack your mind thinking, “When on earth was the last time I watered?” or feeling guilty with thoughts of “Am I watering too often or not enough?”
So before you whip out the hose or make a mad dash for your watering can – stop, wait, take a breather and go out and look at your plants and the soil! There’s no use watering if it is already moist enough for those particular plants in question and you definitely don’t want to over-water your plants as this can cause its own myriad of problems – cacti aren’t the only plants that can be overwatered!
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR PLANTS NEED WATER
Plants need a relatively constant supply of water, so if they don’t have enough they will start to show the following signs of water deprivation, which include:
- Yellowing or drying of leaves
- Wilting of leaves and foliage
- Plant roots growing close to the surface of the soil
- Dry, hard or cracked ground around the plant