Why watering every day still leaves dry patches
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It's one of the more frustrating things in a garden, when you've watered faithfully every day and there's still a plant flopping in the corner or a brown patch in the lawn, and nearly every time the answer is that the water isn't getting to where the roots are, rather than that there isn't enough of it.
Water that runs off instead of soaking in
Soil that dries right out can turn water repellent, so the next time you water it the water beads up and runs away across the top instead of soaking in. Sandy soil and potting mix are the worst for it, and the soil under an old layer of mulch can go the same way. The easy test is to water a dry looking spot as normal and then dig down with a trowel half an hour later. If it's damp on top and dust dry a few centimetres down, that's your problem. A soil wetter fixes it by helping the water break through, and watering in two shorter goes with a break in between gives the first lot time to start soaking in.
A sprinkler that lands unevenly
Most sprinklers drop a lot more water close in and a lot less towards the edge of their spray, so one end of the bed is soaked while the far corner barely gets a drink. You can check yours with a few empty tins. Spread them across the area and run the sprinkler for 15 minutes, then compare how much ends up in each one. If the far tins are nearly empty, add a second sprinkler so the sprays overlap, or switch that bed over to drippers.
A little every day keeps the roots shallow
A quick sprinkle every evening only wets the top couple of centimetres, so the roots stay up near the surface where it's damp. Then the first hot day dries that layer out and the plant wilts. Watering deeply and less often pushes the water down further and the roots follow it, which leaves you with plants that cope a lot better through a run of hot weather. For most garden beds a good long soak a couple of times a week does more than a splash every day.
The spots that always dry first
Some parts of a garden will always need more water than others. Beds facing north cop the most sun here and dry fastest, and the ground under trees loses most of its water to the tree's roots. Rather than watering the whole garden to suit the driest spot, put a dripper line or a soaker hose in those beds so they get a slow, steady soak right at the roots.
Keep it in once it's there
Once the water is actually going in, a layer of mulch slows it drying out again and keeps the soil surface from baking hard. Leave a small gap around the stems, and top it up as it breaks down, because thin, old mulch is one of the things that turns water repellent in the first place.
Shop related products
- POPE DRIP EZE 2LH 13MM X 30M. Dripper line for the beds that always dry out first.
- POPE HOLD DOWN STAKE 10PK. Pegs to keep dripper line where you lay it.
- POPE SIMPLE SET SGL TPA TIMER. A tap timer, so a long slow soak doesn't rely on you remembering to turn it off.
- Easy Wetta Garden Mulch, 50L. A mulch to hold the water in once it's soaked down.
Did you know we also keep soil wetters in the shop, including Saturaid granules and Weta-Lawn for lawns and gardens, along with soaker hoses and pressure compensating drippers, and they aren't on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.
The rest of the watering range is in our garden centre, and if you draw us a rough sketch of the yard, we'll help you work out where the water's going.
More on watering
- Setting up dripper irrigation, a beginner's guide
- How to stop drip lines and sprinkler heads clogging up
- 5 signs your garden watering setup needs an upgrade
I'm a firm believer in digging a hole to check before blaming the plant, because the plant is very rarely the one at fault.
Candeece
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