T
here is no denying the beauty of glis-
tening water drops scattered over
vibrant plants. The sun reflecting off water
collected on leaves and vegetables seems
diamond-like, and nothing says fresh like
a hydrated garden.
However, though a wet garden seems like
a happy garden, plants don’t need or want
to be continuously wet from top to bottom.
They absorb nutrients and water through
their underground root systems, meaning
water is wasted when it sits above ground.
In fact, overwatering a plant or stagnant
water on a leaf can be extremely detrimen-
tal to the plants’ health.
Watering your garden isn’t like
watering your yard. Most grasses used
throughout the US are extremely hardy,
capable of resisting disease and rot
caused by water. Garden plants and
vegetables, however, need a gentler
irrigation strategy for them to have their
greatest output. Flowers and vegetables
are sensitive to watering and thrive in a
moist soil. While stems and leaves can
manage being wet, it is inadvisable to
continuously spray them with water.
There are multiple factors to consider
in garden watering, and gardeners will
often take advantage of a proper irrigation
system to aid with optimal garden success.
The Hazards of Watering
by Hand and Sprinkler
“Hazards” may be a strong word, but we
want to catch your attention and make
you aware of a very common gardening
mistake: wetting the entire plant. Often,
the watering strategy we see employed
is to get everything wet. Whether it is
through a hose, can, or sprinkler system,
gardeners throw a vague amount of
water at plants like rain. Although the
environment seems like an appropriate
role model, a gardener’s care and concern
must go beyond that of Mother Nature’s
comprehensive sprinkler system. First, it’s
possible to not water all plants equally.
Second, as mentioned earlier, gardens
usually contain plants and vegetables
more susceptible to external factors.
Naturally, plants can get wet, but growing
a healthy garden means minimizing
potential threats. Overwatering or
keeping stems and leaves consistently
wet can lead to mold, disease, and rot.
Damp areas under the leaves can grow
mold. Water on plant leaves and fruit
magnifies the sun’s rays on bright days,
which can burn the plant. Preventative
care is a gardener’s best strategy. Instead
of putting gardens at risk of decay and
unequal watering, irrigation systems can
ensure the job is consistently well-done
while mitigating plant hazards.
“
IN ADDITION TO WATER
CONSERVATION,
ORGANIZATION, AND
THREAT REDUCTION,
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
PROVIDE THE INTANGIBLE
BENEFIT OF TIME.”
Irrigation System Benefits
in Your Garden
On top of reducing risks to plants,
irrigation systems conserve water
compared to sprinklers and other aerial
styles of watering. Some even create
organizational patterns. Due to their
design, which introduces water directly to
where it’s needed, much less water is lost
to evaporation. In today’s green mindset,
conserving water is a major benefit to both
the garden and the world.
Depending on what the purpose is,
gardeners can find multiple irrigation
system designs. Some are lines you
perforate and snake through your garden
rows, while some are built for square foot
gardening. The square foot gardening
irrigation systems are especially beneficial
because they separate the garden into
equal organizational squares. Gardeners
can use these to space their plants
appropriately, achieving even greater
watering technique. The square foot
garden planting and watering style swaps
plant rows for a condensed growing area
that is accessible from outside of the
garden. With this condensed planting, soil
is less exposed to the sun and when paired
with a ground-level grid-based irrigation
system, watering is dually efficient.
In addition to water conservation, orga-
nization, and threat reduction, irrigation
systems provide the intangible benefit
of time. Instead of spending more time
unequally watering their crops, garden-
ers perform two simple steps that ensure
near-perfect watering: First, checking the
soil moisture (one to 1.5 inches of moisture
depth is a good rule of thumb to maintain),
then, if the soil is dry, setting the timer for
a few minutes. This two-step process takes
minutes to accomplish, allowing gardeners
to spend less time worrying and more time
enjoying the fruits of their labor.
grow cycle
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