Dialing In Your Watering System
Watering should be at the top of your list of items to stay on top of in your garden, as we make our way into the peak hot/dry season. Lucky for us: late spring and early summer here have been mild so far. My fingers are crossed that we will get a break from the wildfires this year.
This an important time of year to ensure your watering system is up to par if you haven't done so already. Here are things you can do to confirm your system is working efficiently and covering your plant's water needs.
Fix the leaks. Replace the clogged, broken, or inefficient emitters and lines.
Bring up the main drip line above the surface of the soil wherever possible for easier maintenance and gardening.
This allows you to see it easily and work around it when digging, weeding, planting, amending, and fertilizing the soil of your garden beds. When the main line that feeds the spaghetti lines going to your emitters is buried below the surface of the soil it can often get cut doing these projects. If you have dogs make sure they have a water bowl outside, otherwise they may chew up the drip lines or sprayers to get the water.
Burying it below ground also leaves it vulnerable to gophers, moles, and other rodents who will not hesitate to chew holes in it.
If you prefer to bury it for aesthetics, bury it just below the surface of the soil with stakes, or in the top dressing soil amendment/bark mulch. That way it can easily be found, pulled up, and then put back for projects you want to avoid damaging your lines.
Prune and weed areas close to emitters.
This keeps the range of that particular type of emitter able to spray fully. When weeds and plant growth get in the way, your emitters water flow gets thwarted.
This is especially important during the summer months because plant growth is at its peak. Summer heat brings a significant amount of plant energy out of the roots and into leaves, stems, and branches.
Make sure you have the emitters set where you want them, targeting plant root zones and sprayers covering the ground you want covered.
Test and confirm everything is working properly.
When you can see clearly that a section of your garden is drying out even with the drip running, this is where a good hand soaking with the garden hose is good. Long deep soaking are best.
Straight Up & Free with James D is a reader supported publication.
If you found this valuable and educational, and appreciate the craftsmanship and care I bring in providing this content, please consider upgrading your subscription to support my work. You can also give a gift subscription, or make a one time donation.
Thank you!