insideKENT Magazine Issue 100 - August 2020 | Page 64

HOME+GARDEN
YOUR GARDEN THIS MONTH:
AUGUST
Watering
WATERING IS KEY TO GROWING PLANTS WELL, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET IT JUST RIGHT. THIS
NOT ONLY MEANS PROVIDING THE WATER OUR GARDENS NEED, BUT USING IT WISELY. WATER IS A
PRECIOUS RESOURCE AND SUPPLIES IN THE UK ARE UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE, POPULATION INCREASE, AND THE NEED TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, SUCH AS RIVER
LEVELS FOR WILDLIFE, AS WELL OF COURSE DUE TO THE IMPLICATIONS OF COVID.
When to water
Water in the mornings, if you can, as this is when
the sun comes up and plants will start to use water.
The foliage and soil surface is also likely to stay drier
for longer than evening watering, discouraging slugs,
snails and mildew diseases. Evening watering is also
fine, as the cooler conditions mean less water is lost
to evaporation. Watering in the heat of the day is
not a good idea as much water is lost through
evaporation from the surface of the soil and the
plants will use water more efficiently if watered in
the cooler parts of the day.
Watering frequency
We're frequently advised to 'keep plants well watered'
but just how often should that be and how do we
know if a plant is getting enough water?
There is no simple rule of thumb for watering as
each plant has different needs. It's good to remember,
plants will use more water if more water is made
available to them, so you can allow them to dry out
a little between watering and they don't need to be
wet all the time.
Factors that affect how often you need
to water:
• Size, species and stage of growth of
the plant - the larger and more leaves a plant
has, the more water it is likely to lose and the more
nutrients are needed to grow flowers and fruit.
• Texture, structure and compaction of the
soil or growing media and its organic matter
content. Plants cannot extract every drop of water
from soil and some soils may still feel damp even
though plants have started to wilt. This tends to
happen in clay soil. A clay soil can hold more
water than a sandy one but plants are able to
extract more water from sand than clay. In contrast,
sandy soil can feel dry even though there may be
moisture still available to plant roots. Sandy soils
tend to need smaller amounts of more frequent
watering than clay.
• Whether the plant is growing in a border
or container or with root restriction e.g.
next to a wall. A large plant in a small pot will
need more frequent watering than one planted in
a border. In a border, the roots are free to grow
wherever they are able to find water and hence
draw moisture from a much larger volume of soil
than if the roots are confined in a pot. Plants that
are pot-bound (i.e. have more roots than compost
in the pot) dry out particularly quickly.
• Season and weather will affect the rate of
water use. Generally speaking, plants use more
water in the warmer summer months and less in
the cooler winter months. They will also use more
in hot, sunny and windy weather. And watering
will need to be more frequent during prolonged
dry spells with no decent rain - light showers are
of little use to plants as the water simply evaporates
or only wets the very surface of the soil where there
are few roots.
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