How to water your garden – The right way!

If you want to see your garden in full bloom this season or enjoy wonderful fresh home grown vegetables you must ensure that you regularly water your garden correctly. Leaving the watering down to the weather is not enough; your plants cannot rely solely on rain if you want them to truly flourish.
There are several ways you can water your garden and you can choose either to use one method or a combination depending on your garden size and budget.
Ways to water
Watering can
A watering can is the most economical device that can be used to water your garden. Not only is it cheap to buy but it can be filled from a water butt in your garden using rainwater and therefore enabling you to do your bit for the environment. A watering can is great to use if you have a small garden but may become slightly problematic on larger gardens as it can be immensely time consuming and exhausting. Watering by hand does take time and if you have a large garden and a busy life using alternative methods of watering may be more practical.
If you do use a watering can I would recommend purchasing one with a detachable rose attachment. Using a rose attachment on a watering can will give you even water distribution and sprinkles the water lightly onto your plants. However if you are watering grown plants ideally you should always water at the base and not onto the leaves as the water can be absorbed quicker by the roots. A detachable rose will allow you to water in-between each plat at the base easily.
Hose Pipes
Hose pipes work well in both small and moderately sized gardens. They can also work well in large gardens providing you have a long enough hose to reach all areas outdoors. Unfortunately as with the watering can using a hose on large gardens can become quite time-consuming and tedious and you may want to consider other watering methods if your budget permits you to do so.
When using a hose pipe to water your garden it is important for you to control the water pressure in order to prevent damaging your plants and causing soil erosion. A really strong jet of water can damage and break tender plants. Using a variable nozzle on the end of your hose pipe will create a similar affect as the watering can rose allowing the water to flow lightly onto your garden.
Long hose pipes can be slightly messy in a garden if not kept neatly on a reel. At Jacks Garden Store we offer a great range of hose pipes and hose pipe reels for both large and small gardens.
Drip Irrigation
This is the best form of watering. With drip irrigation you can control the water flow and reduce mineral loss in the soil. Drip irrigation gives your plants the optimal level of water and keeps your plant leaves dry by directing the water into the soil which reduces the risk of your plant developing diseases. Once your drip irrigation system is set up you can simply sit back and let it do all the work.
Unfortunately this type of system is very expensive to set up and during plant germination you will have you to use alternative forms of watering in order to give your new plants sufficient water.
Sprinkler System
If you have a large garden a sprinkler system can help cover a large area in water with relative ease and at little cost. Sprinkler systems are great for large lawns but not recommended for vegetable patches. Sprinkler systems use a vast amount of water that is often unnecessary and unfriendly to the environment. They also tend to spread water onto a plants leaves and not at the base which as mentioned earlier is not ideal.
This is only a quick guide to watering, if you do have any specific questions about irrigating your garden or finding the perfect watering method for you please write your comments on my blog.
For a full range of watering ideas visit the Jacks gardening essentials section at Jacks Garden store.
Good Luck
Gardener Jack!