Garden tip: don't water in the rain

[ChanellG]

So I was reading this green gardening article online and the web page had links to other articles, including one on using less water in the garden. It was one of those that is setup as a few paragraphs of mini articles spread out over several pages instead of single article on a single page (nutty, I know).

Anyway, when it got to the third or fourth page/tip the headline read "Don't Water in the Rain." I thought to myself, "no kidding." Who the heck waters their lawn/garden plants in the rain?

 

[maddie]

LOL this sounds like a morons guide to gardening... some people write utter crap.. a few lines down an article i figure out what i am getting into and scram out of there...

 

[ChanellG]

That's just it, Maddie, it started out with the tip of using native plants because they were better adapted to the local weather and could better tolerate less rainy periods. The second tip said use mulch, the third said not to water when it's hot, and the fifth said to put in new plants in fall and spring because they need more water.

The thing that bugged me most was each topic is a single paragraph (less than I remembered) and you had to go to a new page to read each. The tips all make sense except not watering in the rain. It wouldn't surprise me though if the author had seen someone do it.

A lot of people have their sprinklers set on a timer and don't necessarily turn them off when there is rain in the forecast. In really hot weather you can't depend on the weather forecast anyway.

 

[claudine]

I wonder if there is anyone who tries to water his plants in the rain. I'm sure it would look very funny

 

[zigs]

Had to go & check a job after horrendous flooding, fire engines were pumping peoples basements out, yet we saw the council truck watering the hanging baskets, as they were getting paid to do it.

 

[Lanie]

Fantastic tip! I'll remember this next time it rains. Sadly, some people do lack common sense and perhaps this information needs to be put out there for them. We had a drought one year and we were banned from watering our gardens. One neighbor ignored the rule and would water her lawn for hours each hot, hot afternoon. Of course she had a beautiful green lawn that was all the more obvious next to everybody else's brown, dried up grass.

 

[ChanellG]

@Lanie, your neighbor is lucky she doesn't live in California. When there's a ban on watering, they mean it. If more people would collect rainwater, they wouldn't be stuck out when drought comes along. If I were that desperate to keep my grass green, I'd just go out and buy bottled water. Then again, my lawn isn't very big, lol.

@Claudine, That was a funny image!

@Zigs, Are you saying they were watering in the rain? That's crazy! What a waste of water!

 

[maddie]

Does sound like there are a few of those loonies out there after all.. and yes, those images do look funny...
Now these are not a cartoons.. these are real

 

[ChanellG]

Is this some kind of crazy gardening technique the rest of us haven't heard about?

The rain has faked me out a few times, but you won't find me standing in a downpour with an umbrella and a hose. That's just nutty.

 

[zigs]

It makes you wonder Maddie?

Oh yes Chanell, nothings going to stop a council worker from earning his overtime pay

 

[taskeinc]

What would be the point of watering your plants, flowers, and veggies in the rain? Especially when you consider that rain water is so much healthier for the plants than watering from a hose. Every time there is a good downpour in my area, I have two large plastic buckets that I sit outside to fill with rain water for my indoor plants.. they love it!!

 

[ChanellG]

I have been collecting rainwater and using it for my indoor plants. I was running low early in the week so I set out some tap water to let the chlorine evaporate when I left to go across town. I came back today and with all that rain there is hardly any in the bin!

 

[zigs]

The Chlorine is not as crucial as the water temperature when it comes to watering. Plants can get shocked by cold water straight out of the tap or water butt.

I put a watering can in the greenhouse for a few hours to warm up before watering in there.

 

[ChanellG]

Interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind while watering outside over the winter -- or does it matter for plants that are out in the open?

Not sure what our cold water temp is, but inside you have to let the tap run quite a while for it to warm up sometimes. Have been thinking of saving that water to use for the plants instead of just letting it run down the drain (such a waste).

 

[zigs]

When you water the plants, think about what you would like if you were jumping into a swimming pool.

You'd probably like it if the water was about the same temp as your body, you could tolerate it and get used to it if it was a bit colder, but if it was close to zero you'd stop breathing, your blood would migrate to your core & you'd go into shock.

(Zero is freezing in celcius, don't understand farenheight, sorry)