Watering

[cambourne7]

Hi All,

Now most of use down south are on a hosepipe ban i though it might be useful to discuss how much water things actually need and when??

For example i have soil thats on the clay side (not really heavy clay but not 2 far off) so it is either water logged or hard as concrete. So i know i need to keep things mulched or covered and water more in high summer but no idea what things like my fruit trees need so am i watering enough or 2 much?

Whats your opinion?

Cam

[cambourne7]

[artichoke]

In case it is not generally known, South East Water have published (in local rag) a list of what can and can't be done, among which is the surprising news that over 65s can use hoses as long as it is for watering plants. As far as I know the other water companies are not making this concession (and of course I realise this is of no interest to you young people, but it is to me....)

One of the panel on Gardeners' Question Time said she was considering not doing her usual cultivation and planting this year because if it is like 1976 or worse (and I remember that year with dreadful clarity) it will be a waste of time and effort. Not sure how serious she was, but it has made me look at my allotments rather carefully.

According to advice I have been looking up, perennial plants is the way to go as the south east dries up, being more stable and less demanding than annuals. That naturally includes established fruit trees which are supposed to send down deeper roots and not to be so dependent on us. I have lots of fruit trees and bushes, plus asparagus and various other common perennials - but what to do about the annuals?

So I am considering carrying on with my spring digging (which of course itself lets moisture out of the ground, sadly), covering it up with anything I can find so that it stays clean and damp, and planning to be more thoughtful than usual about the annuals.....and not to worry if I don't use all my ground this year.

I quite often have grown things like courgettes in little hollows for ease of watering, and lettuces and peas in channels for the same reason - but I am going to be more disciplined about it now, like gardeners in Spain and the middle East who I have watched.

Three of my fruit trees are quite young, so they will have little moats arranged round them and weekly watering with a can.

The hosepipe ban here starts on 4th April, so while I am planting potatoes I mean to water them in quite heavily as I go, in the hope that all that water stays underground and helps them on their way. I did notice a few years ago that my potatoes, planted rather early in soggy ground grew well - that period was followed by several weeks (months?) of virtually no rain, and all the potatoes on the site planted later than mine were starved and tiny and never recovered.

Is this the sort of thing you mean?

[laurieuk]

I cannot believe the amount of water that is wasted on gardens. When I first had an allotment 2 miles from home , no transport and no water supply at all we managed to grow good veg. If we were going to plant and the soil was on the dry side we did what we called puddling. We had bottles of water and gave each plant a drink as we planted it.I have never watered apart from my runner beans which I like to keep moist at the root.To hear people talk of spraying the blooms makes me think why as all they do is make the pollen wet, although I did hear the other day that it cools the blooms down.!!!!!!

[laurieuk]

I was in service as a gardener through 1976 and cannot remember watering the vegetables although we did waste an awful lot of water on the lawns, ( I was under gardener then) our veg for the house was as usual but then we did not have rotavators etc. we dug the ground to get the depth.

In case it is not generally known, South East Water have published (in local rag) a list of what can and can't be done, among which is the surprising news that over 65s can use hoses as long as it is for watering plants. As far as I know the other water companies are not making this concession (and of course I realise this is of no interest to you young people, but it is to me....)

One of the panel on Gardeners' Question Time said she was considering not doing her usual cultivation and planting this year because if it is like 1976 or worse (and I remember that year with dreadful clarity) it will be a waste of time and effort. Not sure how serious she was, but it has made me look at my allotments rather carefully.

According to advice I have been looking up, perennial plants is the way to go as the south east dries up, being more stable and less demanding than annuals. That naturally includes established fruit trees which are supposed to send down deeper roots and not to be so dependent on us. I have lots of fruit trees and bushes, plus asparagus and various other common perennials - but what to do about the annuals?

So I am considering carrying on with my spring digging (which of course itself lets moisture out of the ground, sadly), covering it up with anything I can find so that it stays clean and damp, and planning to be more thoughtful than usual about the annuals.....and not to worry if I don't use all my ground this year.

I quite often have grown things like courgettes in little hollows for ease of watering, and lettuces and peas in channels for the same reason - but I am going to be more disciplined about it now, like gardeners in Spain and the middle East who I have watched.

Three of my fruit trees are quite young, so they will have little moats arranged round them and weekly watering with a can.

The hosepipe ban here starts on 4th April, so while I am planting potatoes I mean to water them in quite heavily as I go, in the hope that all that water stays underground and helps them on their way. I did notice a few years ago that my potatoes, planted rather early in soggy ground grew well - that period was followed by several weeks (months?) of virtually no rain, and all the potatoes on the site planted later than mine were starved and tiny and never recovered.

Is this the sort of thing you mean?

[artichoke]

I completely agree about the "puddling". And one of my plots had no water until recently, so it was all carried up in plastic milk bottles and used very carefully.

[kt.]

I rarely water at all other than whats in my greenhouse and to get seedlings away.  Once veg is growing I tend to leave it to its own devices mostly.  One of my plots is 110 x 35ft and has 3 water butts.  There is a tap 10 metres from the plot but I have had less than 10 watering cans full from it in my 5 years with this plot.

My other plot is 60 x 45ft with 4 water butts and also has a tap within 10 metres but I have never used it in my 7 years with this plot.

(My plots are in Teeside, north east.  Yes we get a little more water than south but are still well below our usual rainfall)

[Ninnyscrops.]

Is "puddling" the same as dig the hole, water the hole, plant the plant and water a little more then leave it?

If so, then that's the way I've been doing it over the years.

Ninnys  :)

[Ninnyscrops.]

and no misting of runner beans, just dig a good bean trench and fill it with all the goodness saved from my wheelie bins   :)

Laurie, who waters lawns nowadays  :o

Ninnys x

[Digeroo]

It is very difficult to generalise about water usage.  I have a slopping allotment and at the bottom it does not need much water and at the top quite a lot.  My other piece of allotment on the other side of the site hardly needs any at all.  So to say you do not need water is for me an indicator of the closeness of the water table.

In my garden I have a layer of gravel possibly several feet thick between my soil and the water table.  It is like trying to garden in a seive.  It needs lots of water.  I use every method to try and retain it as much as possible.   A very few plants such trees and shrubs have long enough roots to penetrate the gravel so are fine all the time.  But everything else needs watering all the time.  Plants will never find water they will only find gravel. 

Saying your plants will find water simply means you are lucky becauase there is water there to find.

On my lottie that gravel has been removed and refilled with whatever.  Rumour has it it came from building of M4 motorway.

We have had hardly any rain since February last year so we are in deep trouble.

I mist my runners I believe it helps the flowers to set.  Maybe it deters the miner bees who drill holes in the back of the flowers.  I will continue to do it.  There is no ban on misting it does not use much water. 

[laurieuk]

To me puddling was making a hole with a dibber for cabbage plants etc. put the plant in and then pour water in with it and firm with the dibber. Many people around here (Kent) get the sprinklers going on the lawns as soon as the sun shines. I was amazed to see onion sets etc. being watered on the allotments this morning the soil is lovely and moist.

Is "puddling" the same as dig the hole, water the hole, plant the plant and water a little more then leave it?

If so, then that's the way I've been doing it over the years.

Ninnys  :)

[cambourne7]

Yep last year i did not need to water very much once things were established but we did have quite a bit of rain on and off however i have a feeling its going to be a hot dry one this year.

All my flower and help beds are covered in membrane and wood chips and i have planted though so that should delay it drying out 2 hard. MY veggie beds once planted i am going to cover with a good layer of free council compost and then a topping of used bunny bedding mixed with some shredded paper. I might try getting a load of spent hops as well but hubbie will not let me put them in the car :( So will need to ask a friend with a trailer very nicely :)

My trees only went in last year and are all planted with a hose (the ones with little holes every inch up both sides) at the root and sticking out of the ground so i tend to pour about 1/2 a watering can in there every once and a while in the summer. I have also been known to throw a few chicken pellets down when its starting to fruit :) Ok i did it once last year and it did not do any harm from what i can see ;)

Thanks as always guys :)