I have fond memories of helping drag the hose around the house to help water the yard and all the plants in which it contained when I was growing up. I would splash in the runoff puddles and would float down the mini rivers it created. What I didn't know then is that although my mother watered with good intentions, these were both signs of watering too quickly!
When it comes to your yard, your lawn needs about an inch of water a week for the most part. Although some might try to lessen their grass expanse with other plants and landscape design, for those that still have the green stuff, this is a pretty good standard.
The hard part is to figure out how quickly your lawn and surrounding plants and flowers are absorbing it. If you have runoff rivers or puddles, then you're watering too much, too fast. Even though the ground will soak it in eventually, if it's puddling and creating runoff, it defeats the whole point.
Try watering for less time more frequently throughout the week to allow your plants to hold in that moisture with a little more ease and save your pocketbook from using unneeded droplets! Likewise, watering in the cooler parts of the day can help the water not evaporate before your soil gets a chance to accept it.
Do you have watering tricks or tips? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
MORE LAWN CARE ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Do The Step Test To Know When To Water Your Lawn
• Smart Garden Tips: Water-Wise Hoses & Sprinklers
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A question for fellow container gardeners out there...have you figured out a good way to determine how much water you've given to each plant? I have a variety, some needing more water than others, and the only way I've been able to do it is to eyeball the amount of water I've poured out (using an ugly plastic jug so I can mark inches), or feel the soil, and hope it's adequate. I'd like to switch to a better (less ugly) watering can but I'm not sure whether I'm pouring enough or too much.
Ahhh! This post is off to a great start but the last piece of advice is the exact opposite of how you should water! A drought-tolerant and thereby water-efficient lawn is one with a deep root system. Watering for a short time multiple times a week keeps roots near the surface and even causes them to grow upward, leaving the plant very succeptable to drought stress. Infrequent (aim for once a week) deep watering forces the roots to grow down deep in search of water. Soaker hoses are best, but if you do use sprinklers get ones that produce larger water droplets (as opposed to a fine mist) and water before 10 a.m. to minimize evaporation.
Pi, I generally water enough until the water runs out of the bottom of the pot, assuming that I haven't let things get so dry that the soil has compacted and the water just runs out without watering anything. I adjust the *frequency* of my watering, depending on the plant's needs and the weather.
What @ACS826 said.