On this wet and rainy day I find it appropriate to share a little water wisdom with my garden friends. This tip is not just for your vegetable garden–it applies to your lawn as well.

Let’s start with a true or false question. You should water your lawn once a day, especially when the weather gets really hot. True, right? Nope! Your garden (or lawn) only needs one inch of water a week–that’s all.

Water your garden and lawn deeply once a week and your garden and lawn will thank you for it. You may think this will not work. Trust me….I have tried both. When you water frequently, the roots of your plants and grasses don’t have to work to get their water. They become lazy and the roots stay very shallow, remaining in the top one to two inches of your soil. When really hot weather comes–or heaven forbid–a drought, your plants die or have a very tough time.

Why is this? Because the frequent watering has trained those roots to remain shallow, spreading outwards through the soil. When you water deeply, but LESS often, your plants and grass will start to send their roots DOWN deeper into the soil to find an alternate source of water. If the roots go down deep and find another source of water, they will draw from that source when the weather is hot and dry and be much healthier and more drought resistant.

Remember, healthy plants mean plants that are more resistant to plant diseases. OK, I hear your next question: “what do you mean when you say water deeply?” OK. It’s so simple you will laugh. Get an old tuna can. Place it in the center of your garden (or lawn). Turn on your sprinkler and forget about it for a little while. When that tuna can is full of water, that’s it! You have given your garden/lawn all the water it needs for a week.

Now you must train yourself NOT to give in to the temptation to water again. You are training those roots! This is root boot camp! Yell at those roots! Tell ’em to dig deep! No more wussy roots and weak, sickly plants!

Now, where is my cold medicine? :o)

Until next time! Happy garden thoughts!