The complete guide to watering your garden 02

During the dormant period upper grass blades will turn brown but the lower part of the plant will stay alive. Grass needs only about 1? of water every 3 weeks when it is dormant to survive. If you let the grass go brown and then you overwater, you'll drain food reserves. If you decide to water regularly during the summer, make sure you don't overwater. Flooding the grass or watering too often can reduce root growth and weaken your lawn. Wait until foot prints remain imprinted in the grass, then give it a good even watering.What is the best time to water the lawn?Water the lawn in the morning. Water evaporates quickly during the midday heat and watering in the evening can promote diseases and increase insect growth. Keep your lawn healthy during hot dry periods by limiting foot traffic and setting the lawn mower blade on the highest setting so you don't cut it too short.How to water your container plantsWatering your container plants correctly is very important to successful growth. You need to start by examining the type of soil in your containers, as the types of potting soils used can affect watering. Some soils mostly comprise of bog peat so it makes us very likely to over-water our plants. Its better to choose potting soil that is lighter and drains better.

Make sure it has sufficient amount of bark chips or peat and some amount of perlite mixed in there too. These materials help improve the soils drainage. Use clay pots as they're are the most porous and will enable excess water and moisture to seep out through the sides of the pot. And if you're still unsure about watering your plants correctly, then you can always purchase as moisture meter. This will help you test the soil moisture and signals you if your plant needs more or less moisture.Water-retaining gelsThe absorption properties of compost can be greatly improved by adding water-retaining gels. These gels basically look like sugar crystals when dry, but when wet they swell up and are capable of absorbing many times their own volume of water . When watered they gradually give off moisture into the surrounding compost as it dries out. And each time you water the container, the gel absorbs more water than the compost, thus retaining moisture in the pot for significantl longer than compost alone.Self-watering potsA self-watering hanging basket, pot or trough works because it has a false bottom, beneath which is a reservoir to hold water. The compost is kept moist by drawing water up into the pot when it is needed through a matting pad and wick.

More sophisticated containers also have a tube for refilling the reservoir and overflow holes to allow excess water to drain away. Self-watering containers reduce the need to water pots daily, but are still only as good as the person looking after them. It is easy for plants to become over-wet in rainy weather or be neglected and allowed to dry out altogether. However, they can be very useful if you know you don't have time for watering every day.Automatic wateringSo what is automatic watering I hear you cry?Does it sound like the perfect solution? Well, it's a very simple concept! Automatic watering is a system that takes water from the tap to your plants using a simple network of narrow pipes and outlets hidden in your garden. It waters your plants properly all through the season, even if you are away on holiday. All systems can be controlled manually or by a timer and most systems can be installed in a few hours and all can be extended as your garden grows. The options from companies such as Hozelock is pretty impressive. And its not just beds and lawns?If you have a lot of containers and your often away from home, an automatic watering system could make the difference between coming home to a lot of dead plants or a beautiful garden. In the most efficient systems, water from the mains runs through narrow pipes to adjustable drippers feeding containers that require regular watering. The main drawback is that whereas in a garden you can hide tubing under the soil, it is less easy to disguise it as it runs between pots.