Victoria Gardens' Watering Guide

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When it comes to watering, we get a lot of questions:

  • What gets watered?
  • How often?
  • How much water are we talking about anyway? 

Sally Spillane always says, "Wet plant, wet hole."

What she means is that when you plant, you want your plant to be soaking wet in its container. Then dig your hole. FILL the hole with water. Let it drain. And then plant your tree or shrub in the fully saturated soil.

This does two things:

1. It ensures that your plant begins it's new life with enough water.
2. It will show you how quickly the spot drains. Is it a slow draining spot? You will need to be careful of overwatering. Is it sandy and drains almost instantly? You may need to add compost and water more frequently.

Water deep and long--not short and shallow.

If you just wet the leaves of your plants, you are doing them no good. The soil needs to absorb the moisture and ideally, soak deep below the surface to reach all the thirsty roots.
 

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A Watering System

This is the "easy button" solution.

At Victoria Gardens, when we install gardens we also can install an efficient, easy to program, and easy to maintain watering system. 

Call to get an estimate: (845) 658-9007
 

"How often do I water?"

  • Plants freshly planted, especially trees, should be watered every day for the first 10 days, then every other day, then twice a week, then once a week for the rest of the first season.

 

  • Annuals in a container may need to be watered every day or every other day depending on the size and how much sun and heat the container gets. A small planter in a hot spot will need more frequent watering than a big container in a shady spot.

 

  • An established garden or a tree planted last season, should be watered when there is a two week period with no significant rainfall.
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Cloudy, but no rain! Your plants need water.

 

 

"How much water are we talking about here?"

Think of a 14qt bucket (4 gallons) or a 5 gallon paint bucket, you probably have one of these at home:

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  • An individual tree--just planted--needs at least one of these (5 gallon buckets) per day for the first 10 days. Then switch to every other, then twice a week, then just keep an eye on the weather for long dry spells (or drooping leaves).

 

  • A newly planted garden should get the sprinkler (that covers the whole area) for 1 hour every morning or evening for 10 days, then every other day, then twice a week, then once a week for the rest of the first season.

 

  • It is very hard to overwater outside. Unless you have a wet or marshy spot to begin with (in which case you should choose plants from our wet-tolerant section), the water will naturally filter down through the soil--unlike your inside house plants!
 

Sometimes Mother Nature helps

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Keep an eye on the weather.

The day after a big rain is a great time to plant.

We weed!

The Victoria Gardens' landscaping crew are experienced and knowledgeable gardeners. Besides designing and installing new gardens in Rosendale, Stone Ridge, New Paltz, Kinston and the rest of Ulster County, we also offer maintenance, spring cleanups, pruning, transplanting, weeding, and mulching.

As a local landscaper, we have over 30 years experience, and we know what plants thrive in the Hudson Valley.

Call for a consultation: (845) 658-9007

Or visit our rock-top nursery and be inspired!

1 Cottekill Road, Rosendale, NY 12472