{"id":666,"date":"2014-10-05T21:10:21","date_gmt":"2014-10-06T02:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=666"},"modified":"2025-03-05T14:41:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T20:41:35","slug":"watering-basics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Watering Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Watering your garden wisely not only will result in healthier plants, but you’ll save money and time to boot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u00a9Dole\/Fotolia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Water Less Often and Deeply<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

As much as possible, follow the golden rule of watering: Water deeply and well rather than shallow and often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you water often, the roots stay where the moisture is\u2014the surface\u2014and grow shallow. Watering deeper and less often encourages them to grow downward where the soil stays moister longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Inch a Week<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Most plants do best with approximately 1 inch of water a week. If you haven\u2019t had an inch of rain for a week, apply an inch of water from the hose or sprinkler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can you tell how much water you\u2019ve applied? Set out an old cake pan, margarine tub, or other shallow, flat container where the sprinkler will hit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Wilting Allowed<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

By the time wilting has occurred, the plants are already stressed. And a wilted plant instantly becomes more susceptible to insect, disease, and other problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, look for early warning signs. Keep an eye on the soil and take note when it’s hard or dry. Wiggle your finger or a stick into the soil to check. Also note if plants’ leaves becoming less glossy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another trick: Look at your impatiens. These thirsty plants are usually the first to show signs of dryness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water Early in the Day<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Being done right before sunrise is ideal, so set up a timer. You\u2019ll avoid the heat of the day and prevent evaporation. Early watering also allows plants to dry off well before nightfall, when fungal diseases take root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water the Soil, Not the Plant<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Avoid spraying plant foliage during watering since it makes them more prone to disease.  Of course, sometimes you\u2019ll need to use a sprinkler, and getting the leaves and flowers wet will be unavoidable. But when using a hose or watering can, water just the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better yet, consider investing in a drip-emitter system, micro-sprinklers, or black soaker hoses. These slowly apply water exactly without waste where you want it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Links Of Interest:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water Thirsty Plants Less<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Use Compost<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please do not use text, photos, or illustrations on this web site without express permission from The Iowa Gardener. Click here<\/a><\/span> to request permission.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Watering your garden wisely not only will result in healthier plants, but you’ll save money and time to boot. Water Less Often and Deeply As much as possible, follow the golden rule of watering: Water deeply and well rather than shallow and often. If you water often, the roots stay where the moisture is\u2014the surface\u2014and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1872,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,7,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-666","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-information-for-iowa-gardeners","category-garden-know-how","category-lawns"],"yoast_head":"\nWatering Basics - The Iowa Gardener<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Watering Basics - The Iowa Gardener\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Watering your garden wisely not only will result in healthier plants, but you’ll save money and time to boot. Water Less Often and Deeply As much as possible, follow the golden rule of watering: Water deeply and well rather than shallow and often. If you water often, the roots stay where the moisture is\u2014the surface\u2014and […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Iowa Gardener\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-05T20:41:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/sprinkler-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"823\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"583\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/watering-basics\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/watering-basics\\\/\",\"name\":\"Watering Basics - The Iowa Gardener\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/watering-basics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/watering-basics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/sprinkler-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-10-06T02:10:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-05T20:41:35+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/watering-basics\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/watering-basics\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/watering-basics\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/sprinkler-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/sprinkler-.jpg\",\"width\":823,\"height\":583,\"caption\":\"Watering grass and flower in the backyard\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/watering-basics\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Watering Basics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Iowa Gardener\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theiowagardener.com\\\/wordpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Watering Basics - The Iowa Gardener","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Watering Basics - The Iowa Gardener","og_description":"Watering your garden wisely not only will result in healthier plants, but you’ll save money and time to boot. Water Less Often and Deeply As much as possible, follow the golden rule of watering: Water deeply and well rather than shallow and often. If you water often, the roots stay where the moisture is\u2014the surface\u2014and […]","og_url":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/","og_site_name":"The Iowa Gardener","article_modified_time":"2025-03-05T20:41:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":823,"height":583,"url":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/sprinkler-.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/","url":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/","name":"Watering Basics - The Iowa Gardener","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/sprinkler-.jpg","datePublished":"2014-10-06T02:10:21+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-05T20:41:35+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/sprinkler-.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/sprinkler-.jpg","width":823,"height":583,"caption":"Watering grass and flower in the backyard"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/watering-basics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Watering Basics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/","name":"The Iowa Gardener","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2063,"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/666\/revisions\/2063"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theiowagardener.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}