Water Wise Gardening

The key to a healthy plant is a healthy root system. Plants with large root systems will have an easier time looking for water on their own, meaning we will have to water them less often. In some cases, you can even stop watering your plant altogether. 

Keep on reading to learn more about how to reduce the amount of water you use in your garden.

Irrigation and sprinkler systems 

A fair number of us have an irrigation system in our yards. Irrigation is great for watering your lawn, but less so for any shrubs and landscape plants. Here’s what you can do to get the most out of your irrigation system: 

Check your irrigation system for leaks. Most leaks will appear around the valves and sprinkler heads. A lot of water can be lost through these leaks so it’s important to check them regularly and repair them as necessary. 

New plants require water more often than established plants. For this reason, landscapers, when working on a new garden, will set up sprinklers in such a way that they water often for short periods of time. 

As your plants mature, the settings of your irrigation system need to be adjusted, to water for longer periods of time, but water less frequently. 

If you have landscape plants and a lawn, these need to be on separate timers, where your lawn will be watered more often, and your landscape plants less often. 

A good rule of thumb is to set your timer for trees and shrubs to a 20-minute schedule, once a week. This will promote a healthy root system. 

If your garden is situated on a slope, turn the sprinklers on for 10 to 15 minutes, followed by a 20 to 30-minute pause, and finish with another 10 to 15 minutes of watering. This gives the water time to soak into the soil.

Finally, turn your sprinklers on early in the morning, before or around when the sun comes up. This prevents the water from evaporating.

Drip systems 

Drip systems are complicated and high maintenance and provide a solution we generally don’t recommend. 

More often than not, the drip system provides a very small amount of water. Shallow watering like this causes your root system to remain very small and close to the surface. In summer or during a drought, there is little to no water in this portion of your soil, meaning that your plant will dry out without additional watering. 

As a plant matures you want to move the dripline further and further away from the crown of your plant. Doing this forces your plant to grow longer roots in search of water. A plant that finds its own source of water in the soil, will need to be watered less often. 

Another problem with drip is that it’s easily disrupted. It gets knocked away by the wind, or your dog runs over it and moves it away from the plant. For this reason, drip systems need to be checked monthly to ensure that water is flowing everywhere it needs. 

Both drip and irrigation are susceptible to clogging due to salt buildup in the water. A tip to combat this is by removing the spouts and letting them soak in a bucket of vinegar and water. The vinegar will dissolve the salts and clear up the system.

Lagerstroemia Natchez. This tree will become drought tolerant as it matures. After 3 years you should only be deep watering once a month.

Mulch

Mulch is the number one most important tool that can help you reduce water consumption. A good mulch will absorb water and contains lots of organic material. 

Good options are the G&B Organics Soil Building Conditioner and the G&B Organics Harvest Supreme. Both of these products contain a beneficial fungus called Mycorrhizae. This fungus is prolific at retaining moisture, and by attaching itself to the roots of your plant, it increases the water absorption of that plant. The plant in turn creates nutrients that it sends back to the roots and the Mycorrhizae. This symbiotic relationship is very important to your plants. 

When mulching your trees, provide them with a 3 inch layer of mulch, pulled back about 12” from the crown of your plant. Over time this layer of organic material will break down and provide nutrients to the soil. Keep reapplying mulch 2 to 4 times a year to maintain the 3” layer. 

Note: Bark is more of a decorative topper than a true mulch, as it does not retain any moisture and takes a long time to break down. The same goes for rocks and pebbles. 

When planting new plants, we recommend you amend your soil with the Soil Building Conditioner or Harvest Supreme, to help increase the organic material to about 5-10%. All of this organic material will help your plant grow both above and below ground. 

Leucadendron ‘Red Tulip’. An evergreen shrub that can take full sun or part shade. Needs infrequent watering once established.

Soil additives 

Here are a few products you can use throughout the year to help decrease the amount of water you need to use around your garden. 

Gypsum is great for breaking down calcium and sodium in your soil, both of which cause your soil to compact. Water can’t get through compacted soil. 

EZ-Wet is a water penetrant. It breaks water tension and helps it penetrate deeper into the soil. 

Biochar can be found in G&B Organics Biochar Planting Mix and contains charcoal that has been processed in such a way that it can retain large amounts of moisture. Overall this is a great product that will help you cut down on watering, fertilizing and promotes lots of biological activity in your soil. 

Lawns

Consider using fescue grass as your lawn in California. This grass naturally grows several feet tall, meaning it can have a root system of the same size. A lawn with a deep root system will need water less frequently. 

Don’t cut your lawn shorter than 3” as this will cause water to evaporate faster. Lawns can also be mulched, with a thin layer of planting mix to assist with moisture retention. 

Ceanothus Skylark. A drought-tolerant bush that attracts lots of pollinators.

Watering tips 

Tip 1: Plant an empty nursery container nearby any plants that need deep watering. If your plants are on a slope, bury the container slightly above the level of your plant. When you hand-water your plants, fill up the container and let the water slowly sink into the soil. The container will prevent the water from running off and will provide water in the areas that we want it to. Once the containers empty you can go around and fill them up again, providing ample deep watering for your plants. 

Tip 2: Use a soaker hose to water your plants. Soaker hoses can be buried around your plant or be covered with mulch, and will slowly and thoroughly water the desired area. As your plant grows you want to move the soaker hose so that it sits at or just outside the edge of your canopy. 

Tip 3:  Use an olla to water your vegetable beds. Ollas are essentially terra cotta pots with a stopper in the drainage hole. The pot gets buried next to your vegetables and can be filled up with water and covered with a saucer. Terra cotta is a breathable material, meaning it will sweat water underground when the soil around it is dry. When there is enough moisture in the soil the sweating stops. 

This is a great way to water lettuce and other vegetables that prefer slightly damp soil. The olla will work in a 2-3 feet radius.

That is all for now. We hope you found our class interesting! Stay tuned for more classes in the future.