Buffalo & WNY Lawn & Landscape Blog

A new landscape is a big investment, but often once the landscapers have left your yard, you are not very confident in your ability to properly maintain your new plants. Here are some guidelines to help you keep your investment alive and well.

What time of day to Water?  The best time to water is early in the morning before the temperatures begin to rise.  Watering in the morning allows water to soak deeply into the soil providing plants with a good amount of water to face the heat of the day.  If you cannot water first thing in the morning, late afternoon is the next best option.  It is important to water early enough in the afternoon so that the leaves have time to dry before nightfall.  Allowing the leaves to dry before nightfall reduces development of fungal diseases.  Watering in the heat of the day can cause leaf scorch.

Correct Watering The most important factor in establishing new plantings is watering correctly.  There is nothing I hate more than seeing someone standing with a hose shooting a spray of water at their plants.  The idea is to get the water to where it is most needed.  Plants take up water through their roots, so that’s where the watering needs to occur.  Slow deep watering is the best.  That way you avoid runoff.  A slow trickle from a garden hose placed at the base of the plant 20-40 minutes for trees and 10-20 minutes for shrubs should be adequate.  A soaker hose or hand watering is sufficient for ground covers, annuals and perennials.

How do I know it’s Time to Water?  If you are receiving less than an inch of water a week from rainfall it’s necessary to provide supplemental watering.  You can purchase rain gauges to place in the yard or you can use simple can or small storage container to measure weekly rainfall.  Just keep in mind that water evaporates from these and so needs to be measured after any rainfall, not as a weekly cumulative amount.  There are several other factors that can affect the frequency for the need to water.  These include the season, plant type, soil conditions, sun, temperature, when the plant was installed, and winds.  Watering should not be something you do on a daily or every other day type basis.  Be sure and check your soil using your finger, a trowel, or a water meter.  Excessive and frequent watering is as bad for plants as not water at all.  If you are watering with a sprinkler system be sure to make seasonal adjustments.  In a typical year, you do not need to water as heavily in the spring and fall as you do in the summer.

How does Mulch Affect Watering?  Mulch not only looks good and helps keep weeds down; it also helps regulate soil moisture and temperature.  Mulching works well on hardy plants.  The more tender the plant (e.g. annuals and perennials) the more care must be taken to ensure plants are not smothered.
Just because the mulch looks dry doesn’t mean the soil underneath it is dry.  Pull back the mulch to determine soil moisture.

Could I be Overwatering?  This isn’t as frequent an issue but is certainly as lethal and infrequent watering.  Oddly enough, I found that this year with the heat and drought we experienced, that there were more people who over-watered than in more typical years.  Plants still need to dry out between watering.

Symptoms of Under-Watering:

• Soil is dry
• Older leaves turn yellow/brown and fall off
• Leaves are wilted or drooping
• Leaves curl
• Stems or branches die back

Symptoms of Over-Watering:

• Soil is constantly damp
• Leaves turn lighter green to yellow and may drop off
• Young shoots are wilted
• Algae and/or mushrooms appear
• Leaves are green yet brittle
• Presence of soft, smelly rotted tissue