Gold Coast Gardener

March 26, 2006

By Gene Joyner, Extension Agent
Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service

The spring months are usually one of the driest times of year and at a time when you really want things to grow well if you’re not getting sufficient rainfall plants hold back and don’t do their best. If you have an irrigation system, of course, you can supply water whenever it’s needed to keep plants growing at an optimum level. Unfortunately, a number of people don’t have irrigation systems or only part of their landscape is under irrigation so you do have to depend on Mother Nature to supply rainfall on a timely basis.

If you have landscapes that are getting a little dry this time of year, make sure that you water correctly to be the most efficient. The ideal time to water landscapes is in the early morning and that is between 4 and 8 a.m. This way water can get into the soil before the hot sun begins to evaporate it and the plants have time to move the water from the soil into the plants before the heat of the day takes it’s toll.

A good watering practice is to schedule irrigation only on as needed basis rather than every so many days with a clock system. This time of year most landscape plants should be able to go at least 3 to 5 days between needing irrigation. An exception to that would be turfgrass which might require watering every 3 days.

If you’re doing new installation of plants, they require watering on a daily basis for the first week or two and then you can gradually back the watering schedule off to what’s being done for the rest of the landscape.

If you have large trees, they require special attention, too, even though they may have a quite large root system. The feeder roots on trees that are close to the surface easily dry out and you might start to see leaf loss or a slow down in plant growth.

If you have areas of landscape where mulch could be used, use layers of mulch to help slow down water loss so you don’t have to water as frequently.
Mulch layers should be at least 3 to 4 inches deep to be effective and besides retaining moisture they also will help to retard weed competition in the landscape. Mulches break down over time adding nutrients to the soil, too, so they will help feed the plants in addition to providing moisture and weed control.

If you have container plants on a porch, patio, or pool area, these require special attention this time of year since they can dry out very quickly. Depending on what type of product the plants are growing in you may need to water from once a week to as many as 2 or 3 times if they are in very tiny containers. It’s not a good idea to let plants become wilted or extremely water stressed if they are container plants because this greatly slows down their growth and can cause loss of flower buds and leaves, too.

If you have a timer clock and an irrigation system that regulates the water in your landscape, try to set it for the maximum efficiency. Water no more than a couple of times a week for shrub areas and tree islands and about 2 to 3 times for turfgrass. Water in the early morning for best results and water for a long enough period that one inch of water is applied each time the system operates. Watering for brief periods often will not wet the soil vertically to a sufficient depth that all roots can benefit. The end result of shallow watering is that many of the lower roots will die and you will have fewer roots having to do the work for the plant.

If you have questions about proper watering this time of year or any time, contact the Palm Beach County Extension Service for some expert advice. Dial 233-1750 in the north and central county areas or 276-1260 in the south county area.