Do you remember the last day that Wood County received a decent amount of rainfall? The rain event occurred over two weeks ago when Wood County received an average of 2 inches on July 9. Since that time, we have experienced sunny warm and sometimes hot conditions with periods of breezy conditions. This has caused soils to dry out when our landscape and vegetable gardens need the moisture.

Smart gardeners know managing water in a home landscape not only conserves water resources but will also lead to healthy plants. How much water does a home landscape need? The answer is rooted in understanding your garden soil and plants needs at various stages during their life cycle.

Become friends with your soil, dig into your garden and find out whether you have clay or sandy soil. Different soil types dramatically affect how much moisture is available to garden plants. Sandy soils are prone to drying, while soils with high clay content hold moisture much longer. Soils with proper amounts of organic matter will better retain moisture during a drought.

When you water and how much you water is a very important to your landscape needs. Plant leaves are susceptible to diseases that take advantage of long periods of wetness. Focus on watering during the morning hours preferably between 6 and 11 a.m. This helps avoid disease infections. Watering in the morning also reduces water loss from evaporation.

Some year’s natural rainfall may supply all the moisture your landscape needs. However, with seasonal variations of rainfall and temperature conditions, gardeners may wonder if they need to provide more water and if so, how much? One sure way to know is to use a rain gauge. Wide variations in weather patterns distribute uneven amounts of rainfall across a geographical area. Even though Wood County, we received widespread rain July 9 this is not always the case. We may have a deluge of rain in Perrysburg yet be as dry as a whistle in North Baltimore. Using a measuring device (even a tuna can) will help you know how much water your garden received during a rain event. The gauge should be placed in the landscape where water splashing off pavement or overhangs will not affect the reading. These gauges also come in handy when measuring water output from our in-ground lawn and portable sprinklers. Many sprinklers do not distribute water in an even pattern across the swath. If only using time as a method of measure, some of your landscape plants may languish without enough water while others may be swimming.

Most gardening references agree including information received from Senior Horticulture Educator Rebecca Finneran, Michigan State University Extension is that the average garden needs about 1 inch of water a week. However, days that are windy and sunny with low humidity cause far greater losses of soil moisture than cloudy, calm, or humid days. Never underestimate the power of your index finger when it comes to deciding when to water. Inserting your finger into the soil profile at a 1- to 2-inch depth will quickly tell you whether or not if the soil is dry. When you can feel moisture just under the surface, you know irrigation is probably not needed.

There is a myriad of irrigation methods for landscapes. The “smartest” types of irrigation are soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems. These two methods drastically reduce the quantity of water needed because water is concentrated at the root zone – right where it is needed – so less water is wasted.

These systems also lay on the ground beneath the foliage canopy, providing water to the root system without wetting the foliage. Soaker hoses and drip systems are often used in tandem with mulch covering the hoses or tubing. This efficient method of watering allows moisture to be distributed to the root system while conserving water loss from evaporation. This type of system is ideal for vegetable and flower gardens as well as foundation plantings close to the home or other buildings.

For watering newly planted trees, a watering bag provides another efficient use of water. The watering bags typically hold 20 gallons of water that can also be used to provide a slow delivery of water over the root balls during the establishment period of new trees.

Finally, the overhead sprinklers or traditional lawn sprinklers, though not as efficient, may be the best resource for irrigating large areas.

Regardless of how you choose to water your landscape, keeping your plants irrigated as needed will help produce a healthy fall harvest of fruits and vegetables. Your other landscape plants will also thank you as we enter the autumn season.