Watering Tips for Your Yards and Gardens in the Warmer Weather

Greetings again Gardeners,

I'm going to go out on a limb and say "I think we made it into summer (no more frost). Summer months mean warmer weather and we need to tend to our yards and gardens accordingly.

Watering is one of the most important things you can do for your yards and gardens. In today's economy we are all looking for ways to cut costs, and water costs! Since most of us pay for our water, I wanted to share some ways to stay green without spending a lot of green. Here are a few tips to help you with summer watering:

• Keep your plants in groups depending on their watering needs. This way you can have different watering schedules and save on water.
• Try using Drip hoses to save water. Your sprinkler can put out 480 gallons of water in an hour and a 100 ft drip hose will usually only release 60 gallons an hour. You can also better direct exactly where you want your water to go.
• Water early in the morning hours. Since it's cooler, there will be less evaporation, you can use up to 50% less water. Unlike watering at night, you"ll have less risk of fungal disease.
• Retain moisture in your lawn by keeping it longer, 3 inches is ideal. Longer grass keeps the ground shaded and moisture loss at a minimum.
• Try double potting your Terra Cotta pots. Terra Cotta is great for container planting since it breathes, but it also allows water to evaporate. Use larger decorative planters to set them in. Stuff moss in the space between the pots and keep the moss moist.
• Share dinner with your plants! When you steam veggies or boil eggs, instead of pouring it down the drain; water your plants with it. Make sure you let it cool. It's full of nutrients and your plants will love you for it.
• I keep a couple of 18-20 inch plastic planter saucers handy. Whenever I have extra water I pour it in. I use them for hanging plants or dried out potted plants. I give them a refreshing 5-10 minute soak to perk them up. I can usually soak a couple of plants before I run out of water.

I hope you will find some of these tips useful. Remember as the summer days get hotter don't forget to check your container plants more often. If they are dried out don't try to water them from the top soak them so the roots get a good drink.

Happy Gardening!