Whether you have a sprawling back garden or a small herb haven on a balcony, these are our top tips for watering plants during hot weather while keeping your water usage low.
Tips for watering plants during a heatwave
Nearly all plants absorb the majority of water through their root system so, if you do need to water, that is where it should be going. Close to the base of the plant and on the soil or compost around the plant.
Watering the leaves as the sun beats down can cause them to burn, as the light is magnified by water droplets.
When it comes to how often you should water plants in hot weather, less is most often more. When the ground is dry, it is difficult for water to get down to the roots, instead it lies on the surface. It’s better to water thoroughly and less often than splashing a little water around every day.
Surround plants with water using a saucer or crater
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A mature tomato plant needs at least two litres of water a day. Larger plants and plants in containers are always going to be more thirsty. When watering these plants during a heatwave, create saucers or shallow craters around them in the ground using excess soil, and in containers (as long as there are holes in the bottom of the pot). You can fill the pot to the brim, allowing it to soak in before repeating.
When you water is just as important as how you water. The best time is in the evening. Once the sun has set, less water evaporates before it has a chance to penetrate the soil, and night allows time for the water to soak in, and for the plant to recharge before facing another day in the sun.
Second best is early morning, but you should avoid watering in the middle of the day as much of your hard work will be quickly lost to evaporation. If your garden is a bit of a slug and snail festival, watering in the morning might work better as the damp and dark are ideal dining conditions for these garden gastropods.
How to conserve water in your garden during hot periods
There are a number of ways to conserve water and minimise your usage around the garden.
Organic matter is often overlooked in the garden, but providing a thick layer of compost made at home or from the shops, well rotted manure wood or bark chippings, does amazing things for water retention.
Admittedly this is best done in late autumn or early winter, when summer has long been forgotten, but even adding it now will help lock in moisture.
Over time, adding organic matter can increase the water holding ability of soil by up to 60 per cent. Incredible stuff.
A hosepipe ban has not yet come into force this year
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Hosepipes are notorious for wasting water. Most leak. Left on for just an hour, they use more water than the average person uses in a whole week — and it’s easy to be careless.
Using a watering can will force you to be more targeted with your watering and give you a good idea of how much water you are using.
Toast has a racing green watering can for £20, or Labour and Wait has a fiery orange one for £28.
A great way to save your water bill when looking after plants in a heatwave is by reusing water from cooking and cleaning (so long as it isn’t tainted with toxic cleaning products)
Capitalising on the rain when we do eventually get it, and storing it, is another great way to save water. Why pay for something when you can get it for free?
Grass is tough stuff. If you do have a lawn that’s looking parched, it will recover the moment we get a downpour so resist the urge to water it.
If you are looking to redesign your garden to be more drought-resistant for future hot summers, think about replacing large expanses of grass with gravel, woodchips, or other permeable, low-maintenance surfaces.