It’s officially summer which means hot temperatures are upon us. Our gardens and lawns will need extra care for the next few months to ensure they survive the summer weather. We’ll run you through how to water your garden and lawn, how often and for how long, and share some product recommendations.
What’s the best time to water your garden in summer?
Early morning is best in summer. Watering at this time allows the water to soak into the soil before it evaporates and gives plants moisture to draw from during the heat of the day.
But not all of us have the ability to water early in the morning, so the next best option is late afternoon or evening. Watering at these times will ensure your plants are more resilient to the hot temperatures of the Australian summer.
How often should you water in summer? How many times a week?
Daily watering is usually unnecessary, unless you have recently planted and are trying to establish a plant in your garden. Different weather conditions will impact how frequently you should water, but as a guide we follow the ‘more water, but less often’ rule. (Read more about this rule below).
But we know sometimes you want a more tangible answer, so we propose watering your garden and lawn weekly.
Before you water your garden, a good thing to do is to check the soil moisture. If the soil is dry, then you can water the garden. If the soil is still wet or damp this is a sign to let it dry out before watering again.
How long to water your garden for? How much water does your grass need?
We recommend watering your garden deeply with plenty of water as opposed to just a little bit of water. You want to make sure that it’s not just the top layer of soil that is wet.
To achieve this we advise going for a slow watering approach to make sure the water has the chance to sink down into the root ball. We recommend watering a section of your garden, moving onto another, and then coming back to the original section and watering again. If you’re using a sprinkler system, use a timer and set it for 20-30 minutes in each area.
The amount of water will depend on the plant and whether it’s new or established. We’d suggest doing some research on the specific plants you have in your garden.
The amount of water needed also depends on the type of grass itself. If you have a Cool Season Lawn such as Bentgrasses or Fescue you will need to water them more frequently, however if you have a Warm Season Lawn such as Couch, Kikuyu or Zoysia, you can water them less often.
If you have recently had a new lawn put in or have seeded your lawn, extra care will be needed. With a new sown seed lawn we recommend using a fine spray of water so as to not displace the seeds. With a newly laid lawn, we recommend daily watering in the summer months.
How to water your garden?
We’ve touched on when and how much water to use, next let’s look at exactly how to water.
You want to water at the base or roots of the plant and make sure that the water is distributed evenly across your plants and garden. This way the plants are more likely to grow evenly.
We don’t recommend watering your garden with just a hose and no head, wand, or nozzle. Instead we would use a sprinkler, rain wand or a watering gun. With whatever watering head or nozzle you have, make sure to choose a gentle spray option and not a high water pressure.
For fruits and vegetables we recommend you don’t let them dry out between waterings as they need consistent water. Give extra attention and care to potted plants as they will dry out faster than in ground plants.
So we’ve learnt about how often to water and when, now let’s take a look at some options of rain wands and watering guns. We’ve spotlighted two of our brands -GEKA andDramm.
Rain wands:
We have two options for rain wands - one from GEKA and one from Dramm. Rain wands are ideal for watering flower beds, shrubs and gardens (and even small patches of lawn).
The GEKA Plus 60cm Premium Classic Rain Wand is a great option. We love that it can be operated with one hand which makes it comfortable to use when you’re watering for long periods of time. The watering head is of medium size and produces a soft water spray making it perfect for gardens.
Looking to cover large areas?
If you’re looking for a larger watering head to cover more ground, you could buy a different head and swap it out on the rain wand. The GEKA Plus Spray Head Soft Rain XLhas an extra large diameter and is a good option for watering larger areas of garden.
If you want to be able to change out the water pattern more frequently then the GEKA Plus Watering Head Plate Setwhich comes with a microfine M, fine M and M plate would be a good option.
We also stock theDramm 76cm Classic Rain Wand which is a less premium option but it has a longer pole length than the GEKA rain wand. The water flow is gentle but a full flow meaning the water will sink quickly and deeply into the soil.
New seedlings?
If you have recently planted some seedlings or plugs, you will want to choose a head for your rain wand that offers a soft full water flow. Enter theDramm 1000PL Red Head Waterbreaker, this head is ideal for just this and works with the Dramm Rain Wand.
Have lots of trays, plugs or flats?
If you have a lot of trays, plugs or flats to water then you might want a head option with a different water flow pattern. Dramm also make a nozzle with a rectangular pattern of water flow - Dramm Flat Nozzle.
Spray guns are also a great option for watering your garden. Both GEKA and Dramm offer a multi position shower gun - let’s take a look at each. Both spray guns feature an ergonomic design, and the main difference between the two is the number of positions/patterns. On both guns you rotate the face of the gun to change the position.
The GEKA 7 Position Shower Gunhas as the name suggests seven different positions. It has a robust metal design and chrome-plated brass plug for longevity.
The Dramm 9 Position Spray Gunhas nine different spray patterns and features a valve for ultimate water control. It also features a heavy duty metal construction. If you’re into colour, the Dramm spray gun comes in 6 colours (randomly supplied) and will add a touch of vibrancy to your garden.
We hope this guide will help you care for your garden and lawn this summertime and for the summers to come. Happy watering!
