Top tips on watering this summer

With the recent blast of unusually hot weather, our plants and gardens are increasingly thirsty and in need of an extra hand to keep them hydrated. MOLLY MAID, the professional domestic cleaners, has some useful top tips on watering the garden as there are some clear do’s don’ts.

• To be more efficient, consider installing a water tank or water butt, rather than wasting rainwater, to maximise roof runoff and redirect it for use on your garden. Slimline tank and water harvesting systems are available for even the tiniest of spaces.
• Think about saving your cooking water too; If you steam or boil vegetables, save the water rather than tipping it down the sink! It is full of nutrients and when cooled, makes a free fertiliser for watering your plants.
• Another top tip for watering is to collect water from the shower if there is a hose ban. Put a couple of buckets in the bottom of your shower, while the water is heating up. Save these to water your garden every day.
• The best time of day to go about watering your garden is early morning before the temperatures begin to rise. This gives the plants a good supply of water to face the heat of the day. Early morning also tends to be a time of lower winds and thus reduced evaporation. However, if watering is not practical in the morning, early evening is fine, but allow enough time for the leaves to dry before nightfall to avoid development of fungal diseases.
• Keep foliage dry and avoid watering leaves where possible.
• Young and newly planted specimens will need to be watered more frequently, but once established it is important to think about deep watering to prevent the roots from coming up towards the surface.
• For established plantings, deep, infrequent watering is recommended. In most cases, an inch of water per week (rain plus irrigation) should be sufficient. Applying that inch of water in one deep watering will encourage deeper rooting, which leads to stronger, healthier plants.
• Frequent weeding is a top tip to make watering more effective as it makes sure that you are watering plants and not weeds!
• If you decide to install watering systems, choose watering methods that will not wet the leaves (such as soaker hoses) and allow for a timed method so you can water in the morning, which is preferable.

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