Water Wise Gardening

Most people don't think about how they are going to water their garden. They figure that all they need to do is just pull out the garden hose once in a awhile and give it a good once over. There are however more effective and efficient ways to water your garden that will also help you to conserve water. Many people wonder why their plants are not thriving even though they water them everyday. The simple fact is, most plants will do better if they are given one good, deep watering when the surface of the soil becomes dry, rather than having more frequent, light watering.

If your watering your plants a little everyday, all you are doing is wasting water. Light waterings only wet the surface and do not penetrate the soil to the plants roots where it is most needed. This of course, does only apply to established plants. Freshly sown seeds and seedlings do require frequent light waterings until they become established. Once the plant becomes established you can start watering less frequently and more heavily.

Some of the ways to improve efficiency in watering your garden do not even involve the water itself. Before planting you should check your soil. If your soil is too sandy and will drain quickly, you should add some compost or other organic material to it to help it retain water. You can also try choosing plants that are more drought tolerant than others. Map out your garden beforehand and group plants according to their watering needs. This makes it much easier to provide the right amount of water to each plant.