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How to Water New Landscaping Plants in North Texas
In order to encourage deep root growth and extended lifetime, you should know how to water your new North Texas landscaping plants and make sure they are provided with proper sunlight and nutrients. Watering new plants is not a one size fits all; Although this may be true, we can provide you with basic watering guidelines to help your plants grow into a long, happy life.
Initial Plant Watering
Much like training the body for a marathon, you must train your plants to thrive with less water. For the first 5-7 days after installation, your new plants will need to be watered every day in order to allow the plant to root into the ground. We recommend hand-watering during this period so that your existing plants do not become victims of over-watering. When watering your plants, you shouldn’t water directly next to the main trunk, but instead around the base of the plant to encourage its root growth. After this 5-7 day period of establishing root growth, your plant should have a steady supply of water so that you may resume your normal watering schedule.
Regular Plant Watering
As a guideline, regular watering is typically once a week, but if your landscaping during the summer months, you may need to adjust your watering schedule to twice a week. In this same way, during times of extreme rain or cold(winter months), your plants may need little to no watering at all.
Keep in mind that these are very basic watering guidelines and not all plants are the same. For example, heat tolerant landscaping plants may need less water than others, so be ready to adjust your watering schedule based on climate or visual notes of a plant’s struggle.
How Much Water for Plants
When you are watering your plants, the objective is to give them a good soak. The amount of time you spend watering your plants will vary based on your watering methods and when your landscaping is installed, so we have a few baseline recommendations for each method. If using your average lawn sprinkler, we recommend watering for 10-15 minutes. For hand-watering, we suggest 10-30 seconds watering on each plant and longer for trees; As noted before, make sure to water around the base of the plant and not directly on the main trunk or foliage. Lastly, if using a drip line irrigation system, we suggest 20-25 minutes of watering.
How to Know if Plants are Overwatered
A common question we are often asked is how to tell if your plant is being overwatered. Typically, a plant that is being overwatered will show signs of yellowing in the foliage and/or limp foliage. If the soil feels wet or soggy around the base of the plant several hours after watering, then the plant may be over watered and will need less water next time.
How to Know if Plants are Underwatered
A plant that is being underwatered will have signs of browning foliage and/or brittle foliage/branches. If the soil feels dry around the base of the plant several hours after watering, then the plant may be under watered and will need more water.
When to Water Plants
We recommend watering your plants in the morning before the sun is at its highest point. If you feel your new landscaping plants need more water, it may be best to contact your landscape design planner prior to implementing additional watering cycles.
Now that you know how to water your North Texas landscaping plants you’ll also want to periodically check the soil around it and visually monitor the plant, especially during the initial watering period. Check the soil several inches below the plant base, rather than checking the surface-level soil. As we said before, watering your plants is not a one-size-fits-all, so the best way to figure out what will help your landscaping plants to thrive is through consistent observation and soil-checking, as well as trial and experimentation.