the sun is killing my garden

[bubba man]

big problem - what do you guy`s do - bought shade last year this year dosen`t seem to work - water once a day dosen`t seem to be enough - now i have to water twice a day ????

 

[Chuck]

Here is what I do. I keep my plants mulched and I water them deeply about every 7-10 days. And it hasn't rained a drop in 2 months. All of my plants wilt in the 98F-103F afternoon temperatures but then in the mornings they are all perky again. I guess this is because I encourage my plants roots to grow deep instead of staying shallow because of too frequent and inadequate watering.

 

[Beth_B]

You don't say what you're watering or where you live...

I'm further north than you guys but we are having an extremely dry and hot summer too. Barely any rain and 80s-90s every day (yuck, I don't know how you southerners deal with hot humid weather for months on end! I'm having happy dreams of snow....)

Vegetables in the ground - I do the same as Chuck exactly.
Vegetables in containers/straw bales get watered similarly but maybe more like 4-5 day intervals.
Lawn - normally I never need to water it; nature takes care of that usually. However I have been watering the grass out front (small lawn) about every 3-4 days because I got tired of it being crunchy and brown.
Also rarely ever water my perennials as most are quite hardy but have been watering them occasionally this summer.
Annuals, especially those in smaller containers and hanging baskets, I've been watering almost daily of late.

 

[CrazyConure]

Plants will wilt in the heat. Perfectly normal. It's watering them too frequently that kills them.

 

[bubba man]

ok guys tell me what [ deep watering ] means please - litterally put a pool of water at each plant or what ???

 

[Chuck]

ok guys tell me what [ deep watering ] means please - litterally put a pool of water at each plant or what ???

Deep and thorough watering simply means putting out a small amount of water over a long period of time. For instance. I am on a drip system and have an emitter under each plant such as a tomato plant. Row crops such as beans have emitters closer together. Each tomato's emitter emits 1/2 gallon of water per hour. I usually water about 3 hours, so each plant gets 1 1/2 gallons of water, none of which runs of. It all goes slowly into the soil and saturates it deeply. Many people use soaker hoses but you can also do the same thing with a hose by just barely having the water turned on. I have also seen folks put a cap on a 1 1/2 ft 4" PVC pipe and drill a little hole in it. They then insert the pipe a short way into the ground and fill it up with water.
http://www.dripworks.com/

Or, if you have unlimited water you can flood irrigate by filling up the walkways between rows. The main thing is for the water to go deep and not just 2 or 3 inches deep but 8+ inches deep

 

[Beth_B]

My vegetable garden isnt that large, I water manually with the hose. Saw an article recently giving the amount of water per week most plants need, I think 1-2 gallons was about average. I'm sure you can look that up.

I put the hose on a medium trickle and water each plant individually around the main stem. That's my time to putter around and commune with each plant, tidying them up or whatever. A few minutes per; that's probably about 2 gallons.

Also water first thing in the morning. Much better than in the evening and never water in the heat of the day, it stresses the plant and can scorch the leaves. As stated above, wilting is perfectly normal for plants when it gets really hot. Sort of like us sweating or dogs panting lol.

 

[Durgan]

Magic Water Wand (Tomato Plants)
Posted on July 14, 2012 by Durgan
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?LXROX 14 July 2012 Magic Water Wand (Tomato Plants)
Thirty two plants were watered thoroughly using the MAGIC WATER WAND.The wand was inserted about ten inches from the stalk in three places around the plant. Total time to water 30 minutes. This should be sufficient for a week or ten days.The area is suffering from a severe drought.

http://durgan.org/URL/?ARLGN 28 May 2009 Watering Plant Roots.The MAGIC WATER WAND.
This method gets water to the root area of the plants. The hydraulic effect of the water makes pushing the wand into the ground effortless. The device is made by cutting off the end of a typical water garden wand as sold in most hardware stores.

 

[Durgan]

Effective Watering.
Posted on July 8, 2012 by Durgan
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DDBQE 8 July 2012 Effective Watering.
Get the moisture to the roots of the plants! Not by guesswork, but by utilizing an effective delivery system. The watering magic wand and a bit of effort delivers the water where it can be utilized by the plant roots. The soil is hard packed clay between all the plants, yet the plants are thriving. The plant root growing area might be compared to a large pot.The pot being the hard packed clay outside the root growing area. All my plants are watered when large enough using the WATER MAGIC WAND.When the plants are small a watering can is used or a pail.Why would any thinking person water the ground between the plants where it does no earthy good? Even some of he large trees get water, since during this dry spell some are shedding leaves, a sure sign of they need water. Drip,soaker hose, and aerial spraying are almost insane as far as being effective for the plants.Plants so not need continuous watering, they like a deluge then a rest period.

Observation made to support my position.As a young man serving in Egypt (Gaza)it was observed how the local landowner watered his field of tomatoes. Remember this area is almost like a desert.Labour was cheap.The two or three acre field was dammed around the circumference, about two feet high. Then the field was flooded about six inches deep. A marvellous crop ensued.

Another, once visiting a botanical garden in Cincinnati USA, it was observed that they were growing plants certainly not native to the area. The area was heavily mulched.Upon investigation it was ascertained that the non climate plants were grown in large pots and watered as necessary.This system of growing is analogous to my present yard, the hard packed clay soil around the growing plants being the pots.Nobody in their right mind would water pots.

Mulch helps retain moisture for loner periods, but it alone is not adequate if there is insufficient rainfall.The watering times are staggered,hence the effort is not onerous. The results are spectacular with little wastage of water. I tried to get a debate on this subject some time past, but the response was the normal, dull non-reflective response from some people with me to’s so gave up.

Your Granddaddy did a better job watering his plants with a stone boat and a team of horses and a couple of 45 gallon drums, than most of your present methods. He sure didn’t blanket water, you can be sure.How much water is determined by experience. You don’t need a meter, your plants will inform you and usually quickly. Quod Erat Demonstrandum. Pictures substantiate my method.

 

[bubba man]

here`s the problem i water from 3 giant totes each holds 275 gals. i put a hose in the tote and a pump turns on my water - my best bet is to go to each plant and just give it enough water that`s why i was wondering on how much - i also thought by putting mulch on the raised beds i would give toooo much h2o - this yrs. kinda over for me although i could start some more bush beans - i guess it`s a hit or miss - i`ll just have to find that happy medium - just in case anyone`s interested next year will be - bush beans - tomatoes - potatoes - peppers - egg plant - basil - cucumbers - maybe corn - well thanks for all the feed back

 

[Chuck]

That is another good system but you are totally and 100% wrong. What you are doing is called water injection. Sure, it works and works very if you have the water to do it with. Many of us in arid conditions have limited water reservoirs and must use a little as possible. A question. How many gallons of water do you use in 30 minutes, 5, 10, more? Please do an experiment and put your Magic Wand into a 5 gallon bucket and time how long it takes to fill it up. Drip systems are much more conservative and effective when it comes to water and water management. And 30 minutes per plant? When I can deeply soak 75 plants in 3 hours @ 1/2 gallon per hour?

 

[Chuck]

here`s the problem i water from 3 giant totes each holds 275 gals. i put a hose in the tote and a pump turns on my water - my best bet is to go to each plant and just give it enough water that`s why i was wondering on how much - i also thought by putting mulch on the raised beds i would give toooo much h2o - this yrs. kinda over for me although i could start some more bush beans - i guess it`s a hit or miss - i`ll just have to find that happy medium - just in case anyone`s interested next year will be - bush beans - tomatoes - potatoes - peppers - egg plant - basil - cucumbers - maybe corn - well thanks for all the feed back

Then you have more than enough water. What your main concern is, is an efficient deliver system where you don't have all day to be running around and watering plants seperately. If you pour on 2 gallons of water most of it will not go to the roots. It will end up outside of the roots system or just run off and be wasted. It takes time when you are watering the soils surface. The soil must saturate from the surface to below the root system. That is why @Durgan Magic Wand works. It immediately gets water to the roots. Its only drawbacks are is that it is time consuming and you don't really know how much water you are dispensing and exactly where all that water is going.

 

[Durgan]

I know exactly how much water I am dispensing. I push the magic want into the soil and count so many seconds.

I can water 80 potato plants by pushing the wand along the marker stake without damaging new tubers almost as fast I can walk along the row.

I water in sections so all is not necessary on the same day.

My preference is wheelbarrow and bucket but often am short of rainwater and the system is relatively slow but very effective if one can expend the time.

I have about 2500 square feet under extensive cultivation which produces more than I can utilize and is adequate for my needs. My soil is excellent and is always under improvement.

Wood chip mulching is almost as beneficial as water.

 

[Beth_B]

I must say I like the notion of the water wand...have seen them at stores. When i let the hose trickle I do poke it into the ground at several points around the base of the plant so it doesn't run off.

@bubba man where do you live? It would be helpful to know. Clearly somewhere southern and hot I guess. You can just get some gallon or 2 or 5 gallon buckets to guage how much your system is delivering per minute or whatever. Although I confess I've never done this, I'm a painting contractor so I have a pretty good idea how much time it takes to fill various sizes of paint buckets.

Pretty much impossible to over-mulch! I use a combination of wood chips (a bit pricier) and straw, which is inexpensive here; about $4.00 per bale. Helps a lot with weed control too. And helps prevent soft or buggy parts of things that often rest on the ground such as squash and cucumbers.

 

[Chuck]

I know exactly how much water I am dispensing. I push the magic want into the soil and count so many seconds.

I can water 80 potato plants by pushing the wand along the marker stake without damaging new tubers almost as fast I can walk along the row.

I water in sections so all is not necessary on the same day.

My preference is wheelbarrow and bucket but often am short of rainwater and the system is relatively slow but very effective if one can expend the time.

I have about 2500 square feet under extensive cultivation which produces more than I can utilize and is adequate for my needs. My soil is excellent and is always under improvement.

Wood chip mulching is almost as beneficial as water.

And just how much water is coming out per second. A tablespoon or a half pint, a pint? I am not saying that the wand doesn't work. Of course it does. Here in Texas they have been using the same thing for at least 25 years on sick oak trees. All I am saying is that the wand method is inefficient, water wasteful and time intensive. I have seen the pictures of you garden, and it is impressive, in fact one of the nicest I have seen. I am saying that with a simple drip setup I could water your entire garden or any portion of it in 3 or 4 hours without any labor and I am sure with about 1/4 of the water or less