How much to water new veges, shrubs and flowers

Hi there,

Very exciting to discover this fabulous online resource!

I am putting in my first garden, so I'm all about the basic questions! Right now, I've got four different areas I'm working with around my property.

1. a big patch where I've planted 4 flowering schrubs -- mostly california natives (tellima, mimulus, artemisia, figwort, verbena bonariensis -- tall verbena)
2. a rasied bed where i've just planted edamame, collards, kale, and a lettuce mix
3. a small area where i've planted pink chintz thyme along a walkway, and dymonda margaretae

Getting ready to put in a poppy flower bed next...

I'm trying to get a sense of how much to water, and when. A few questions:

* I put a bunch of stuff in yesterday, then this morning it started raining (not hard, but some)... is this good, bad?
* I'm assuming (from what I've been told by some) that shrubs should be watered about twice a week in their first year. Is this correct?
* Assuming it's not raining, how much should I water veges and flowers?
* I'm told to water close to the root and not the plant itself, but this seems impossible with the thyme and dymondia, because they're already so close to the ground. Anything else I should know?
* I've put a couple other shrub like plants in big pots. Should I water them more than the plants in the ground?

Any advice so much appreciated!

My best,
Leda Dederich
Oakland, CA

Yes on the potted plants.They have no reserve as the ones in the ground draw from the earth around them. I am sure there is someone that will show up that can give you exacts. I water mine everyday in the beginning then sometimes I can slow down to every other then back again sometimes twice a say in August. The temp and the humidity and the direct sun plays a role. So many variables. When they look thirsty to me I water!!
Hope this helps.
Robin

For the CA natives, the best thing to do is plant them in the fall, then by the time they've gotten all the winter rains you can probably drop down to watering about once a week during the summer, and then reduce that frequency every year, after a couple years you can water them probably once a month (unless they're native to wetter areas than where you live). Many natives will do fine with no summer water once they're established, but they tend to look better if they get a pinch of water here and there. If you just planted them now then they may need a little more frequent water this summer, but you need to be careful because many of them can be susceptible to fungal diseases if they get too much summer water.

On the other things, watering frequency is going to vary depending on how well your soil drains, how hot it gets, etc. I'd try doing the finger test until you get the hang of things...stick your finger down a couple inches into the soil and see how it feels--if it's really dry then you need to water, but if it's still wet then hold off. Shallow rooted things like your veggies you can water more frequently, but for shrubs you want to encourage deep roots, so it's best to water infrequently but deeply. The finger test goes for the pots too, although as you gain experience with them you can usually tell if it needs water by lifting or tipping the pot and seeing how heavy it feels. They will need to be watered more often than the garden, but the frequency will depend on temperature, how large the root mass is relative to the size of the pot, etc.

The reason you're told to water the roots and not the plant itself is because getting too much water on the leaves, crown, etc of the plant can cause fungal problems. In the hotter parts of the Bay Area you wouldn't have too much trouble because the humidity is low, but if you're in a part of Oakland that gets a lot of summer fog that is something you'll have to be careful of. Watering in the morning instead of evening can help since that gives the leaves a chance to dry out, but on a foggy summer day that may not help you much. Drip irrigation would probably be your best bet since that will put water on the ground by the roots and it won't get on the leaves. I've read that natives don't do as well on the drip irrigation so you might stick with careful overhead watering for those.

Thank you both so much! This is extremely helpful.

Ecrane3, I just have one follow-up question... for the shrubs, you say " it's best to water infrequently but deeply"... Do you mean more water, less often?

Yes, more water less often. What you want to do is encourage their roots to go down deep into the soil, and if all you do is water really shallowly every couple of days, the roots are going to try and stay in the top couple inches of soil where the water is.

Got it. Thanks much!

It takes at least 2 years for shrubs and trees to become established no matter where you live. During that time, plants require more water, even those that are drought tolerant. In some climates, such as my zone 4, it takes 3 years.

If you use a sprinkler, buy a raingauge and place it near where you are watering. It will tell you how many inches of moisture plants have received. If I remember correctly, the recommended depth to water is at least 3".

ecrane3, you took my other words right out of my mouth. I agree with your post above.

Thanks everyone... I'm finger testing away. Seems like the veges and flowers are wanting every 2-3 days. Shrubs every 4-5.

Although I have a CA Figwort that has brown spots on its leaves. Not sure if that's too much or too little water (or something else...).