Landscape Watering Basics

Minimum Basic Watering Rule (BWR)
Always check the soil moisture around the base of the plant (under the mulch) prior to watering. If the top 1" of the soil feels wet, there is no need to water. New plant material needs to be monitored on a daily basis and may require additional water on hot, dry, or windy days. Both over watering and under watering can cause wilting, discolored leaves, and can result in plant death.

First growing season (installation)
Trees: Leave hose at the base of the tree and turn water flow on to equal the width of a pencil. Leave on tree for 30 minutes. Repeat once a week during summer months. Newly planted trees may additional watering on hot, dry, or windy days. (See BWR)

Shrubs: New shrubs should be watered one to two times per week.  Using a watering wand, hold water on each plant for a count of 30 seconds, repeat if necessary (i.e. extreme dryness, slope which causes water to run off, etc.). (See BWR)

Perennials: New perennials should be watered two to three times per week. Check perennials EVERY day during hot, dry weather and less frequently once weather cools down. Using a watering wand, hold water on each plant for a count of 20 seconds, repeat if necessary.  (See BWR)

Next spring and beyond
Most plants will need no additional watering but will benefit from a deep soaking (as described above) after a few weeks of dry weather.

Additional Instructions

1. Give your trees and shrubs (particularly evergreens) one last deep soaking around Thanksgiving to help them over winter.

2. Two main causes of winter death/injury are caused by water loss and freeze thaw cycles. To help prevent these you can spray exposed evergreens (including boxwood) with a anti-desiccant (i.e. Wilt Proof®) and/or wrap with burlap before the onset of winter and remove it in the spring once the frost is out of the soil.

Irrigation systems
If you have an irrigation system installed in your landscape, monitor the watering time and frequency closely.  Try to run it at the minimal amount of time so your landscape plants are not over-watered.  Irrigation systems should be set to provide 1” of water per zone, once per week. This is usually supplied by natural rain patterns in spring and fall. Any irrigation above and beyond this rate endangers your landscape plants.  Consult with you irrigation specialist/maintenance provider to provide you the proper length of time to run each zone.