IN THE GARDEN: Wise watering

by Chuck McClung

Summer is finally here. So, here are a few helpful reminders for keeping your plants watered through our dry, sunny summer days.
In Whatcom County, it is typically best to water in the morning as opposed to the evening. In hotter, drier areas like Eastern Washington you are told the opposite, because much of the “morning water” evaporates and is unusable to the plants. Therefore they water in the evening.
Here it’s not near as hot, and watering in the evening leaves water on the foliage which may encourage many of our Pacific Northwest diseases. That being said, watering in the evening after work is better that no water at all.
Slow and thorough waterings are always best. A thorough watering gets water way down in the ground, so the roots grow way down in the ground. A little sprinkling of water for two minutes keeps all the water at the surface. All the roots will then grow at the surface, and you get that dries out a lot faster.
Be sure to keep all your vegetable crops well watered right now.  Under-watered salad greens quickly go to seed (bolt) and yield poorly. It’s especially important to water your tomatoes in the morning; avoid getting water on the tomato leaves to help avoid diseases like late blight.
Under-watered squash, cukes, and pumpkins (especially zucchini) get powdery mildew on their largest leaves first. We generally think that water on the foliage spreads disease; it can. Here, however, lack of water creates a stressed zucchini plant that can’t as easily “fight off” powdery mildew naturally.  (The same is true for columbines, delphiniums, roses, bee balm, honeysuckles, to name a few.)
Now that it’s warmer and your hanging baskets have been growing, they’ve made a lot of roots and will require a lot more water. Combination or mixed hanging baskets dry out very quickly with all those plants in one basket.
Fuchsias and begonias, however, being in the shade, typically require less frequent watering.Begonias especially will suffer if over-watered. If in doubt, stick your finger an inch or two into the soil; if it’s wet, don’t water it.
If you go out of town for the weekend and return to find your hanging baskets wilting (a common phenomenon), don’t panic.  Take them down and soak them in a tub or bucket in the shade for an hour or two; you may have a few yellow leaves to remove.  Also, avoid fertilizing a dry hanging basket; water it well first, and then fertilize the next day.
Definitely continue to water your new plantings whether they are fruit trees, perennials, annuals, lawn, etc.  Even new plantings of drought tolerant plants like lavender, juniper, and barberry need regular waterings to establish a good root system. Again avoid getting water on foliage as much as possible.
Soaker hoses are a great way to water flower beds. Wind the soaker hose through your beds, tomatoes or whatever, and use those weed barrier staples to keep the soaker hose lying flat on the ground.  Just hook up your garden hose to the soaker hose and let it run for an hour or two or however long you might need.  Soaker hoses soak the ground, and no water gets on the foliage.  And you can leave them set up on the ground all year long.
Some plants need way more/less water than others.  As always, know your plant! Remember, try to water in the morning, but watering in the evening is better than no water at all.  And less frequent, slow, thorough waterings are better than frequent quick waterings.  Here’s to keepin’ it watered.
Chuck McClung has a Master’s Degree in Botany and helps others solve their indoor and outdoor gardening dilemmas. He can be reached at orchidfruit@hotmail.com