Watering Guide

Water is the most crucial element for your new landscape’s survival. Follow our comprehensive guide to ensure your new landscape’s success.

Overview

● Watering frequently will help to maintain the health of your new plants
● Monitor soil and moisture levels daily
● Apply water to the base of the plant

How Often to Water your New Plantings
New plantings should follow a timetable similar to the following (taking into account rainfall, soil
type and current weather conditions). Be sure to check the soil around your plantings 3-4”
deep after the first few days and routinely during the growing season to determine whether you
need to adjust the duration of watering.

● Water daily for the first 1-2 weeks, adjusting depending on weather conditions.
● 3 weeks through about 2-3 months water every 2-3 days, adjusting depending
on weather conditions
● Years 1-3 water once a week if we aren’t receiving 1” of rain a week or during
dry spells

How Often to Water Established Plantings
As your plantings mature over time (3 years and beyond) you can take your watering cues from
nature: in cooler times of the year such as spring/fall our soils will remain moist for longer periods
of time. During the summertime soil dries out faster as the temperature and rates of
transpiration increase.
● Avoid light watering as this can promote shallow root systems and less resilient plantings
● Strive for less frequent deep watering
● Water in the morning when possible
● Ensure adequate mulching to retain moisture and keep the weeds down
● Keep up with watering during drought periods until the ground freezes in late fall

How Much to Water
These are some general guidelines using a steady shower of water from your garden hose. Too
much water isn’t always better. Keep in mind that the amount of water that your plants need
will depend on the size of the plant, your soil type, plant variety, and weather.
● 1 gallon pots (perennials), 20-30 secs
● 2-3 gallon pots, 30 secs to 1 minute

● 3-5 gallon pots, 1-1.5 minutes
● 5-7 gallon pots, 2-3 minutes

● 7-10 gallon pots, 4-5 minutes
● 10-15 gallon pots and larger, set hose at base of plant on slow trickle for 10 minutes

Step Three - How to Water your Plantings
● Apply water directly to the roots/base of plant to a point just beyond the branches
● Soaker hoses can be helpful tools in difficult to reach areas or for larger planting beds
● Hand watering can be used in smaller planting beds, or using the hose at the base of
your plantings set on a slow trickle
● Sprinklers and overhead watering can be used, especially for establishing new lawns
● Watering bags can be particularly useful if you have multiple trees. The bags are
designed to slowly release water to the root ball.

Additional Pro-Tips:
● Water earlier in the day for less water lost to evaporation, protect the health of the plant
and conserve water.
● Use your index finger to check the moisture levels around the base of your plantings,
stick your finger in up to your second knuckle. If the soil is dry it’s time to water, if it’s wet
hold off on watering.
● In general it’s best to water for longer periods of time less often, especially as your plants
become more established. This allows the new plants to develop a deep root system.
● Light, frequent watering won’t allow the water to fully soak into the mulch/soil to reach
the entire root zone of your plantings.
● There can be a fine line between overwatering and underwatering. Take some time to
review these guidelines and reach out to your designer with any additional questions.

*Note on Using Irrigation Systems to Water New/Existing Plantings:
Irrigation systems are a wonderful tool to utilize as you establish new plantings or maintain existing beds. Sometimes irrigation systems don’t cover all planting areas evenly for a variety of reasons (plantings on hillsides, heavier soil, under tree cover etc). A good rule of thumb is to
frequently check that your plantings aren’t getting over or under watered by using the finger test listed in pro-tips.