WATERING FOR SUCCESS

Getting water to the right plant at the right time, can sometimes be as difficult as getting the timing right for tomatoes at Xmas

The best time to water plants depends on the season, and the threats in your garden.

SUMMER

In Summer watering in the late afternoon seems like a good idea to replenish the losses from the heat of the day, however as the sun goes down so does the cycling of the plant, and therefore the uptake of water is also reduced. A late afternoon watering may replenish the soil, but it lends itself to other problems in the garden overnight.

#1

The number one problem in most peoples gardens is slugs and/or snails. Watering at night is like laying down a magical carpet for them to slide about on to consume your precious vegetables with ease and comfort.

#2

The number two problem is powdery mildew and fungal issues.

If you live in the highlands you know about mist and mizzle forming as the cool air flows from the sea up the mountains and then back again throughout the year. Adding water to your gardens in the late afternoon can really load the humidity around susceptible plants like pumpkins.

Especially the shoulder months in early spring and in late autumn when the dew starts setting earlier and heavier until the frost eventually arrives.

HEAT

Watering in the heat any later than 10am may result in leaf burn as droplets of water form tiny magnifying glasses on the leaves. The water loss before soakage is also high during the heat of the day as to make watering after 10am wasteful.

In Summer the best time to water you plants is early in the morning around sunrise or a bit before. To mimic the dew set provided by Mother Nature, to reduce the heating of the soil a little longer but mainly to provide enough time for the water to soak in ready for the plant roots to uptake, and there is not time for the slugs, snails or fungus to make issues for you.

WINTER

In Winter watering in the late afternoon is fabled to load the ground with water, creating more thermal mass in the earth. This extra thermal mass can prevent early frosts in some micro climates, but we have had mixed results. more experimenting is required.

Watering in winter is best done after the frost has lifted and the plants are starting to function again. It will also be dependant on your water source and plumbing. Frozen hoses or even cold ones are difficult to use. Common sense suggests waiting until the sun has warmed the watersource and hoses, so that perhaps the water is warmed by the sun first. Warmed water will assist the roots of your vegetables to get a wriggle on before unwarmwatered plants do.

On a small scale you could use multiple watering cans filled the night before and left on a northeast facing wall to warm up or get a black olive barrel in the same place. Get creative and your plants will reward you with impressive growth without a greenhouse if they get a warm water once a morning.

On our hill, we rarely need to water garden beds during winter, we only water newly planted seedling, and they are usually planted in the middle (warm) of the day. The dew, mist, mizzle and rain keep our vegetables fed without the need for our attention. But similar to summer evaporation repeated hard frosts can remove a lot of moisture from some areas of the Garden, so pay attention. Thankfully only pots need watering on our hill most winters.

SHALLOW VS DEEP WATERING

Now how you get the water to the plants is also and area of focus. A deep water 1-2 times a week is better than 3-5 shallow waterings over the same period of time.

Hand watering with a hose is generally pretty boring, and it is pretty ineffective unless its done for long enough. and it rarely is long enough. Its good therapy to hand water in the afternoon but it can also cause you problems if you don’t water for long enough.

Have you ever noticed that you are starting to mow the root of that tree in the lawn, and maybe even lawn is no longer growing under your favourite watering tree?

Its a very common site to see roots sticking up along lawns in the Canberra region. Years of shallow watering to keep the lawn alive has actually killed the grass in the end with super competition from the tree.

VEGETABLE WATERING

How does this apply to your vegetable garden?

Hand watering is out unless your are very patient and who has time? Drip irrigation is the simplest of the active systems, with less parts and places to leak. Complicated systems do exist, with many parts and dripper head options, but really they just lead to irritation, leaks and blockages. The simplest system comes in a neat roll in pressure and non pressure versions usually denoted by the colour. This pipe is best rolled out and staked before vegetables seedlings are planted. but it can be done later with a bit more effort so its never too late. Connected to mains or a gravity water tank is great but when it leaks you can lose a lot of water.

At Bombay Seed Traders we fill smaller tanks to our dripper system to prevent losses from leaks, but also to control how much water we apply. Its all in the design and removing the risks is key to reducing water waste and still giving your precious food enough water to thrive.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We have another way we water our trees, grass and vegetables and that’s passively…

There are a lot of levels to passive land hydration and our favourite is the humble swale. Its the ultimate expression of assembled systems designed just like Mother Nature.

A swale hydrates the land by holding water that falls from the sky, and sometime from tanks or dams, in a trench on contour across the landscape. The swale also builds and hold nutrient by design. Shade is provided on the swale by canopy trees, to reduce evaporation from the sun and the shade benefits the plants growing underneath from the harsh summer sun.

All this juicy nutrient goodness flows downhill in the earth where the plants need it most, and without our input which is always a bonus for us.

Effective watering is one of the key pillars of growing food in our Unpredictable Highland Climate, as are soil condition, sunlight, timing and having the best seedlings.

How do you want to spend your time in the garden?