Friday, May 29, 2009

Watering - It's That Time of Year Again




The temperatures are going over 80 everyday and the rains are long gone. It is that time of year again. I've got to water everyday. There is only about 1/2 a barrel of rainwater left. That needs to be saved for the fish and the pitcher plants. I have to use city water now, which I hate to use on plants. Necessary evil though. To use the least amount of water I have to pay for possible, I do the following.
1. Water deep.
2. Water in the late afternoon
3. Use watering pots
4. Mulch Mulch Mulch
Water deep is pretty self explanatory. An inch at least. Deep roots in cooler soil better for plants.
The "experts" will tell you to water in the morning to avoid fungal problems. Here in Texas during the summer that is pretty much retarded advice. The plants will dry out during the day stay dry all night and pretty much quit growing. Water in the late afternoon, just keep the water off of the foliage. Water the soil not the leaves. Using the watering pot helps with this.
Watering pots are 6" plant containers buried about two inches in the soil. You can see one in the picture of the yellow pear tomato. There is about 2 inches of compost in the bottom of the pot. Fill the pots with water, which then slowly seeps into the ground without running off. I also put liquid fertilizer in them once a week while foliar feeding. Works great.
Mulch, again, is self explanatory. I use half composted hay. Cheap and effective.
Do you have any watering tips?
No, OFB, dragging milk cartoons full of water all over the place is not a tip:)
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15 comments:

  1. I have to water everyday too. Sometimes twice a day in the heat. Its so dry and hot already this year. Things are wilting. Oh well thats life right?(-: I am guilty of running out at mid day with the hose too. I can't help myself if its that hot out and I see a wilted plant!!!!

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  2. Grrrr! But actually, your advice and the sunken pots are great. (We, ahem, try to think of hauling the bazillion milk jugs back and forth as exercise.) All I can say is, thank God it's still raining here. Our milk-jug-hauling has been pretty much limited to the greenhouse so far, but of course that will end and then we'll be in for it. My only hope is winning the lottery or getting a MacArthur Fellowship so I can have a small wind-powered well installed near the gardens. We may not have water back there, but we sure do have wind! Your tomatoes look great, btw. Jealous!!!

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  3. Don't dis the milk jugs; they save some of my water hungry babies. I poke a couple of holes in the bottom, then set them down and walk away. Kinda like a redneck drip irrigation! Don't laugh, don't you dare, it works...

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  4. Ooops, I guess I wasn't pc, so anyone reading this that considers themselves a redneck (does Foxworthy read your blog?), please excuse me! I woulda said "Aggie drip irrigation", but I are one, so I don't dis Aggies!

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  5. What do you call that vegie in the top photo Deb? We call it silver beet here, but the stem of yours isn't white as ours are.

    I've been watering every day too, even though it's cold here, but we've just put in seedlings.

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  6. Cindee, I am going out to water again right now. Need to get on an evening schedule

    OFB, I see you found the love:)

    Nola, I might just give that a shot along with my watering pots. Redneck is perfectly okay on this blog. I've already ran off all the classy gardeners.

    Foxy, That is a swiss chard. I think there is a white stemmed variety. I know it also comes in yellow and pink.

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  7. Yep, it sure is that time of year. It's been pretty nice till now. I've got to remember to fertilize this week. Been saying that for at least two weeks now...
    Brenda

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  8. And the watering has started! Ok--how did you know I carried water to my happy flowers...just one of those crazy things I do. Like I have the time to do that too...crazy, crazy gardener!

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  9. You are way ahead of us in the East coast. We are still getting rain and I can't wait for more sun. I'm still in the planting stage but I'm almost done.. I hope you get some more rain..

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  10. Brenda, I need to do the same thing

    Tink, maybe if you did a rain dance for me:)

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  11. Lucky for me we've gotten rain the past two nights. Don't throw anything at me Deb! lol Anyhow I love your sunken pot tip, another great idea I will have to borrow. :)

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  12. You must call silver beet swiss chard. I wonder why all the world just doesn't call plants the same name? You say cilantro I say coriander. LOL

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  13. Foxy, Well I call the seeds coriander. That one gets two names in these here parts.

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  14. Here's my tip.....let hubbie water. Ok, that only works on his days off. ;-)

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  15. Kim and Victoria, I think he would say no.

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