Garden Country

Here are the rules, the fundamental bases that every amateur gardener must know, to water their plants in the right way.

Whether for humans, animals or plants, water is a fundamental component. It is necessary for living organisms to survive. It plays a very important role for plants, acts as a solvent of nutrients, which in the form of sap, are distributed to organs, cells and tissues of the plants themselves. But if humans and animals are able to decide when and how to feed themselves, plants have the only chance to absorb through the roots, what the soil offers, on which spontaneously or not they were born or grew.

So, as always, it is important to try to understand on what kind of soil our plants have developed, for example the two ends are:

clay soils: where the water will flow much more slowly causing dangerous stagnation, so it will be appropriate to administer less water at long intervals

Sandy soils: where water flows much faster. The soil will dry up quickly, so more frequent watering will be necessary. In any case, you can always correct any type of soil.

But When is the Right Time to Water?

An old saying says that: to keep a plant healthy, we must test the soil with a finger, the soil must always be moist, 2 cm below the surface.

Morning or evening? Here I explain what the advantages are.

All or almost all of them advise us to water either in the morning or in the evening, absolutely avoiding watering during the afternoon hours, but let’s see what are the real reasons.

Evening watering keeps the soil moist longer for all night hours, thanks to the absence of heat from the sun there is no evaporation. But it is, however, preferable to water in the morning, because, thanks to the combination of water, light and heat, it allows the plant to more easily assimilate the nutrients. For afternoon watering? Obviously, in case we forget to irrigate, in the morning, a plant in need of water, it is right to do it, regardless, in order to avoid worse scenarios. Otherwise, it is good to avoid them, because the temperature change caused by the water will put the roots under stress, lowering the absorption capacity. In addition, the drops that fall on the leaves act as a lens and would cause burns.

It is also essential to irrigate regularly. It is not the case to flood a plant thinking to be quiet for a while, it is completely wrong.

But should we water even if it has rained?

Whether large or small, the plants must be watered even if it has rained recently, unless the rainfall has been consistent for 2/3 days in a row. The foliage acts as an umbrella, preventing the rain from wetting the ground well.

But in addition to this, we must also take into account the…

It is a climatic element that is usually underestimated. It is not about rain, more or less hot summers, but about the wind. A rather windy day causes the loss of water in the form of steam, through the leaves, so the plant will need to absorb more water through the roots. You will need to check the soil at the end of a particularly windy day.

Too Much Limy Water?

Home tap water, used for watering, can often be too limy, causing problems first to the soil and then to the plant. But a few steps are enough to improve it. You can let it decant for a whole day, perhaps adding a tablespoon of vinegar. Read also: Don’t you want to give up on Ortensie Camelie Azalee? Here’s what to do.

A Good Gardener Must Know That

A good gardener or aspiring, must know that the best water to irrigate our vegetation is rainwater.

Compared to the one we use from our taps, it contains less salt and does not contain disinfected, such as chlorine. These are already good reasons to make better use of this water. You can collect and store it with special tanks for sale anywhere, in your nearest agricultural shop, or online. But in addition to the advantages mentioned above, there is more. All this will come in handy when the municipal waterworks are dry and cost nothing!

The tank shown in the photo above is sold here on tambourine, with a capacity of 500 liters of water.