Garden Tip 93:
HAND WATERING YOUR SUMMER GARDEN
July and August are typically very dry months here on the Cape, making watering one of the more important garden chores to be done this time of year. Plantings of this season, last year, and even the year, before should be watered two to three times a week if they are not watered by a drip irrigation system.
Hand watering is most effective when one waters using a water breaker. Water breakers are water nozzles with three to four hundred holes that break up and spread out the water coming out of the hose without restricting the volume or flow of water being delivered. The more popular trigger nozzles do have a spray setting but the volume of water delivered is greatly reduced when using this type of nozzle.
Annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs when pulled from their pots have established root systems measuring anywhere from four inches to twelve inches deep or more depending on the size of material planted. The goal here is to deliver enough water to reach these roots planted below and using a water breaker gets the job done.