Coventry Gardeners | Watering Guidelines for New Plantings

Watering Guidelines for New Plantings

The objective in watering new plantings is to keep the soil slightly moist to encourage the roots to spread and grow out of the root ball. The plants should not wilt or be stressed by lack of water. However, keeping the soil consistently soggy will cause the roots to rot. Too much water, at this stage can actually be as damaging as lack of water.

What are new plantings?

New gardens for the first 4 – 6 weeks.
Existing gardens follow guidelines for New Plantings until the 4th of July.

How Often to Water
Unfortunately, there is no set rule for keeping a garden evenly moist, because it depends on weather conditions. During a cool May, two light waterings (spaced more or less evenly apart) per week may be sufficient. A garden planted in mid summer may need water every day for the first week or two. If there is a week of rainy weather, you won’t need to irrigate at all. Be aware of weather conditions, water as needed. If you baby your plants at this stage, your garden will be off to a great start and will require less attention in the following months.

New Perennial Plantings in Hot Summer Weather
In hot weather, newly planted plants can deplete all the moisture available to them in their little root ball even though the soil throughout the rest of the garden is moist. This moisture can not be absorbed by the roots, because they are still tight in their root ball and have not spread into the soil. In this case, use a hose instead of a sprinkler to apply water right at the base of the plants. A bone dry root ball will not absorb water readily. Apply slowly, moving from plant to plant and returning to each plant 3 or 4 times.

How to Water New Shrubs
New shrubs need deep slow water 1-2 times per week. Let a hose run slowly at the base of each shrub for about 15 minutes. To water a group of shrubs at the same time, let a soaker hose run for 1 – 2 hours.