White County
 Gardening
Podcast
August 13, 2010
Wet Your Garden's Whistle (2:39 minutes)
Audio/Video Script
Sherri Sanders
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
Even diligent and faithful gardeners may not water enough in this intense
Arkansas heat. Hello this is Sherri Sanders, County Extension Agent –
Agriculture in White county.
Most plants require an inch of water a week. Here's a quick test to see how long
you need to leave your sprinkler on. Take a glass jar and mark an inch depth
with grease pencil. Set it out by your flower bed and run the hose for 20
minutes. Check the water level in the jar. Odds are evaporation ate much of the
moisture. Keep sprinkling until the jar fills to your mark. That's how long you
need to water on a dry week.
You can't really tell if your container plants need watering just by looking at
them. You may need to get a little dirt under your fingernails. Press the soil
surface with your fingers. If it feels moist, you can stop right there. Do not
water, do not pass go, do not collect your watering can. If the soil surface
seems dry, however, you need to give the dirt a solid poke. It could be that the
surface is dry but the soil is wet just below it. Again, this is no time for
watering. Only if you plunge your finger down an inch and still don't feel
moisture should you haul out the old watering can.
A watering wand sprays soft showers into hard-to-reach borders and hanging
containers. This extra reach put water where you want it - on the dirt, not on
the plant. Soaker hoses provide drip irrigation at its most basic and
affordable. String soakers up and down rows of vegetables or circle them in and
out of flower beds, especially with new plantings. Rain gauges help keep track
of watering, both from the sky and your hose. Any amount of rain lessens the
amount you need to water yourself. Keep track of water totals on your calendar
every time you empty gauge.
Many flowers are not at all thirsty once they become established. Most of these
can survive on rainfall alone. Orange coneflower, often called black-eyed Susan
or Rudbeckia is premier in this regard. Other colorful, drought resistant
flowers include:
- Cushion spurge
- Yarrow
- Coreopsis
- Lamb's ear
- Blackberry Lily
- Bearded iris,
and
- California poppy
Don't wait until plants start to flag to begin watering. While heat and perhaps,
even drought may be at their fiercest right about now, it's just as crucial to
properly water in spring. If April showers aren't up to snuff, supplementing
springtime rains will give added strength and vigor to plants and turf. Thorough
watering earlier could mean less watering come summer. Your ornamentals will
look showier and your lawn will look tons better all growing season long if you
pay attention to moisture levels from the very start.
For additional questions please contact the White County Extension Service. This
has been Sherri Sanders in Searcy.
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