The Art of Watering

Important Watering Facts

• It is NOT necessary to water newly installed plants EVERYDAY.
  

• Too much water can kill a plant, just as easily as not enough.
  

• Watering depends on many factors such as soil content, type of plant, and other conditions based on location (i.e. prevailing winds, urban, sun exposure, etc.)
  

• Do NOT rely on rainfall to keep plant roots moist. The plant canopy redirects rainwater away from the root ball.
  

• The best way to tell if a plant need water is to dig down 2-3” at the edge of the root ball using a hand trowel. If the soil is dry in the original root ball, its time to water. MOST IMPORTANTLY, continue to water until late Fall- November 15th through November 30th. This will help to hydrate the plants going into the long winter.
  

Watering Tips

• Plant specs are crucial to understanding your plants watering needs. Utilize them to determine how their habits fit into your landscape and how to manipulate watering needs appropriately.
  

• Hose nozzles and movable sprinklers are NOT suitable ways to water new plants. Sprinkling plants will only give you a light dampening just like rain--and waste many gallons of water.
  

• Sprinkler systems (designed for the planting beds ONLY) are a great way to irrigate, so long as they are installed and timed properly. Turf sprinkler systems are specifically designed for lawns. You should not depend on turf water to migrate and thoroughly
  hydrate planting beds.
  

• When in doubt, your Account Manager is here to help. Ask away!
  

The Best Way to Water New Plants

• The very best way to water thoroughly is to do it manually using a hand-held wateringwand. A watering wand, attached to the hose, should have a round water breaker on the end. This water breaker prevents a strong, steady water stream from eroding the surface

  of the root ball. With the breaker, you achieve an abundant but gentle water flow to the plant only, thus conserving water.
  

• Use the wand to water smaller container and B&B plants. These smaller plants should be watered EVERY 3-5 days depending on the temperature and the time of the year. If in doubt, refer to the fourth bullet above, under “Important Watering Facts.” Set the wand, which really should be equipped with a shut-off valve on it, to about halfway between ON and OFF. Slowly circle each root ball until water starts to run off and then continue to the next plant. After you have watered all the small plants, repeat the process. Much of the water does not soak in very far during the first pass. The second pass allows more of it to soak directly into the root ball.
  

• Do NOT use the watering wand on large container or B&B plants. It will take too long to get a deep soak. Use a standard open-end hose with a flow of water approximately equal to the size of your little finger. Place the end of the hose a few inches from the trunk and let it run for 20 minutes. Move the hose to another 1/3 of the ball for 20 minutes. Then move the hose to the last 1/3 of the ball for 20 minutes. This watering technique should be done every 5-7 days, again, depending on temperature and the time of year.