Watering your garden this summer

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DRYING OUT: The best time of the day to water plants is 5-9am.

NOW that the heat and humidity have arrived on the coast, previsions for watering the garden need serious consideration to keep it thriving through the hot summer months. These are the hot tips from local gardening professionals:

The best block of time to do any work in the garden would ideally be between 5am and 9am. The cooler temperatures at these hours of the day allow the plants to absorb water before the heat of the sun burns off the moisture.

If watering the plants at this time of the morning is impractical, apparently the next best time advised by the experts to water plants out in the sun is 3 hours before sunset.  Plants need time to dry off before sunset otherwise mildews and other issues will arise in them. It is advised to only water shaded gardens in the early evening if desperate.

Watering the grass is a difficult balance, whilst wanting to keep the grass alive, wasting water so it looks like a golf course isn’t necessary. Healthy turf that goes dormant with a brown appearance will bounce back when temperatures cool down.

For best results they recommend watering heavily and less frequently than lightly and more often.  One inch of water is the general rule of thumb, a good gauge is to place an empty tuna can on the grass as you water and when it is full the grass is fully watered.

Unlike plants, the best time to water grass is at night. Sprinkler timers are available in most hardware stores or garden centers up and down the coast.

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