How do you water your plants?

Ok, so now I have a wonderful batch of new plants to get into my new beds, and can't wait to get them into the ground and settled. But something that just hit me, I should probably find out the best way to hydrate these guys. I plan to look up and learn about each of the plants, and figure out how much water each needs, but I guess I am just looking for a simple setup for some sort of drip irrigation system or whatever all you smart green-thumbs suggest! :) Anyone have a favorite simple setup to share? Or is it just grab the hose and nozzle? Or perhaps one of those soaker hoses for each bed? Thanks a bunch!

Well it might be dumb, by I am an old drag the hose around kinda guy. It lets me wander around every day and see how things are. It's getting harder since from the the front to the back that needs watering is about 100 yards. I have to get a seperate hose and caddy and some quick connects for the hook ups so I can.
Didn't take alot of time trying to keep seperate the drier plants from the moist lovers. I just water some things daily and skip over others. But there is lots of timers and watering systems you could get. It would have been easier to plant the water junkies together, but I like diverity in my yard. A palm tree with banana on one side and butterfly bush and coleus and euphorbis around it. Looks cool but realy doesn't go together, I am the rebel gardener!!

Every one has a different way to water, some have the drips, soakers,
and whatever's, thats all good if you have city water, good timers, or a good judge of how much and when.
I am on a shallow well an I have to be very careful, I just water the plant not the whole yard. I water with a soaker setting on my water wand and lay on the ground under the plant. And new babies need more deep watering to get the roots deep, takes a year for perennials to establish there roots, Annuls I water when needed.

I know some one else will pop up with more.

So what plants did you bring home?

Rebel, got to remember that. LOL

I'm the same as NWG. I drag my hose around the yard every evening. It gets me out in the garden everyday and it is my quiet time after the kids are in bed. I usually water my grass twice a week, so on those days I don't need to water the flowerbeds seperately.

I have thought about setting up a drip system, but haven't done it yet. I have tried those black soaker hoses, but don't recommend them. Usually you can only hook up two of them together....after that it gets too long and the water doesn't reach the end....in my experience anyway. I pitched my soaker hoses a few years ago and just went to hand watering.

Well, alright, maybe a footie or two on some fruit!
OOOHHH!!! That doesn't sound much better does it?

I have auto & drip and am constantly adding new drip to places I have had to drag the hose around. As my garden grows..so do the drip lines & the water bill in summer anyway! I splurged last summer and got one of those auto winding hose reels. Fantastic invention..just need two more for the other hoses! Some girls want diamonds..I will settle for an auto hose reel..a truck load of compost and of course more plants!
P.S..I hire someone to mow my lawn..hate that chore! Think the lawn will slowly go away in the not to distant future! Need more room for plants!!


This message was edited Apr 19, 2008 10:25 PM

Good job Gordon, want to eat the other foot. LOL

No room! Full of footies at the moment!

ROFLMAO
^_^

Catgal, You have helpers too with watering don't you. My kids used to love to help with watering in the summer and they knew they could play in the water as long as it was in the garden areas...
I use soakers and draggers...In the "summer" I am a dragger, it keeps me in touch with what is growing, plus I have planted so many new things the soakers only get the old right now...lol I will use the soakers in the tropical area so I can control where the water is going.
The Nepata "Walkers Low" is up, or was up prior to the snow. You and the kids are welcome any time just let me know.

I had an automatic sprinking system installed last year. After 20 years of dragging the hoses around I had had enough. I just say I am $4000.00 happier than I was the year before that. I used to set my hose up on the edge of the garbage can, put the whole thing up on a chair and leave it for an hour in each spot. My neighbors thought I was nuts. Not far off.
Are those footies chewy?

I have a wonderful DIY combination.. soaker hoses at the beds that I have to drag the hose down to. I'm redoing the soaker hoses this year and will have three or possibly four separate sections with them, instead of two. I'll better be able to water similar conditions together this way. I'm also starting to reinstitute the drip in an area that I added brand new beds to last year-that had to be hand watered last year. I'm in the middle of adding lots of new plants, so I know my water needs will be high this year so I need to be as efficient as possible.

Ok, I am just now getting back online, and I LOVE these responses! :) I used a soaker hose in one of my beds last year, but had to drag the hose to hook up to that hose... will probably do the same thing for that bed again this year... but my other beds are smaller, and have the newer plants, so I guess probably just get out there and check out my little guys and water deep.

Tills, I have to go back out and check all the tags again... I can't remember the darn names of the plants, but I have been checking out the yard of every house I have walked by yesterday and today going "ooh, I just got that one! Oh, I have that!"... lol I will let you know once I have been aquainted with each and gotten them into the ground, but I do remember that I got a helebore, hosta, anemone, sedum, cannas... ok, I am going to run back out and look at them all again in just a sec.

Cocoa, you hit it right on about my little "watering helpers"... 'cept my concrete walkway generally gets more water than any of the plants... but its fun letting them do it, until my daughter gets her shoes soaked and then cries about it... LOL We need to get up that way soon, you are so close, perhaps one of these weekends coming up... and if you're ever heading to North Everett and have time in your day, please stop by, I will feed you... I would offer some plants, but I doubt I have anything you don't have!

Ok, so the sun has broken through, I need to go get my last bed built (for my herbs) before it starts dumping snow again... eeks! I am glad to know that alot of people are doing the hose-dragging thing, I would LOVE to get a watering system in, but that probably will not be on hubby's top priority list. However I did get a rain gauge today that I am looking forward to trying out... I am so lame. :) Thanks everyone!

I have a rain gauge too! So it's not lame!! It's like the people on the passes measuring the snow. We know it rained, but how much? Do I need to water? Or am I good. I have had these thoughts racing thru my head before, but now I just look and see that there is STILL snow in my beds!!!!lolIf someone told me to put socks around my plants and they would grow faster, I would probably try it on half just to see!! Now THAT'S lame!!!

Gordon, No, you'd be lame if you were still wearing the other one..... ;)

[sorry, I let my smart-aleck side out a little-try to keep it under control, but being the 3rd generation of bad-jokesters kind of slips out occasionally...no offense meant or intended... :) )

And, yes, we had a rain gauge too, until it broke. We would like to be really geeky and get one of those complete weather systems, but they're really expensive.

This message was edited Apr 20, 2008 6:37 PM

Oh, where did I see one that wasn't too bad. I think Radio Shack had them for under $100. I think!! They are still not as good as a window but fun to have!
And don't worry about offending me! It isn't possible!! ;-) My great uncle Joe Penner was a vaudville caomedian who had his own radio show in the 30s and 40s. George Burns talks about him in his autobiography, called him the laziest comedian in the buisness!!! Had one catch phrase he used his whole career " Want to buy a duck? Oh! You are a nasty man!! " I don't get it! I guess you had to be there!

That sock thing cracked me up! LOL Too funny! I needed that... Monday mornings are rough... :)

I be CroMagnon hose dragger, too. Me pull hose everywhere. Up on deck hardest. I also wear pantyhose. How do you get it on without ripping?

Gordon did this to me. I once was middle aged unemployed suburban gardener. Then Gordon, now CroMagnon Pantyhose wearing, hose dragging, Ariod junkie. Now me wants Brugs, Datura. Soon I need L. williamsii for cactus collection.

Where coffee? Need weird plant today. Understand? I NEED WEIRD PLANT TODAY!!!!

A....dog, have you had your coffee yet...LOL You are just too funny!

I'm going to have to get adog some caveman club gourds to grow!! And you could of had a weird plant today, but you forgot to come over!! Have your plants from the swap still!!