Watering the garden, how to do it right, the art of watering the garden
Irrigation is one of the main components of the optimal care of garden plants. The key to abundant fruiting of trees and perennial garden - timely and proper watering.
How much and how often should trees be watered? Which irrigation method and system to choose? The answers to these questions will allow you to competently organize irrigation and increase the yield of fruit crops.
The importance of watering garden plants
Most fruit trees and berry bushes love moisture and do not tolerate drought well. With a significant decrease in humidity, trees grow poorly, bear less fruit, lose frost resistance and durability.
The richest vegetation is always concentrated near water sources. After all, it is through water that all the nutrients from the soil enter the plants. Water acts as a temperature regulator for plants, protecting them in hot weather.
It is considered that the garden should be irrigated when the level of field capacity (maximum water content in the soil after flooding) is below 70%. It is also necessary to take into account air humidity, calculating that the lower it is (dry hot weather), the more often soil moisture is required. The maximum air humidity is observed in fog (100%).
Among fruit trees, the most demanding for regular watering: apple, plum and pear. Cherry is the least susceptible to drought.
Oriented dates and rates of watering
fruit trees
Pears and apple trees are watered according to the following scheme:
- in early June - after the extra ovary falls;
- in mid-July - watering is carried out 2-3 weeks before fruit ripening and contributes to their filling;
- end of August or beginning of September - irrigation for trees of winter varieties (if the summer was dry, then general watering of the garden is carried out).
The order of irrigation of cherries and plums:
- end of May or beginning of June - during the period of active growth of shoots;
- approximately 2 weeks before the full ripening of the fruit (watering the trees will help prevent dropping the ovary);
- after fruiting and harvest.
Stages of watering young barren trees:
- during the formation of the fruit ovary;
- during fruit ripening;
- after harvest.
If the winter was not snowy and the soil is not sufficiently saturated with moisture, then additional irrigation is carried out for all trees before bud break.
Irrigation rate in home gardening is from 40 to 100 liters of water per 1 square meter. Water consumption varies depending on the quality of the soil and the purpose of irrigation. For young trees, the rate is reduced (so as not to provoke rotting of the roots), and on clay soils it is increased to 120 liters.
berry bushes
Watering or spraying shrubs (raspberries, gooseberries, currants) gives a positive result during the period of budding and ovary of berries. Effective spraying involves complete wetting of leaves, branches and trunks with water.
You can not water the berry bushes in early spring - this will provoke premature bud break, which can be subject to freezing and fall off. For proper preparation of shrubs for winter, it is not recommended to moisten the soil in late autumn.
Irrigation rates for berry bushes:
- gooseberries - 10 l. water at the rate of 2-3 bushes;
- raspberries - 20-35 liters of water per 1 square meter (depending on the composition of the soil);
- currant red and black - 20-45 liters.
With winter “moisture-charging” irrigation (during the period of leaf fall), water consumption can be doubled.
Memo on the organization of garden watering
Consider the general rules on how to effectively water trees and shrubs:
- The optimal time for irrigation is 6-7 am and 9-10 pm, that is, the period when the rays of the sun "do not patronize" the leaves of plants.
- In order to determine the need for watering, it is necessary to dig a handful of earth in the aisles of the garden from a depth of 30-40 cm and squeeze it in your hand. If a lump forms - watering is not needed, if it crumbles into grains - it's time to moisten the soil.
- Water should not be cold (well, spring) - the optimum water temperature is approximately equal to the temperature of the soil.
- Irrigation of the garden should be started without waiting for the topsoil to dry completely.
- Garden watering is carried out rarely, but plentifully.
- Chernozem and clay soil retain moisture better than sandy soils.
- Loosening the earth allows you to retain moisture in the soil longer.
- A good lingering rain equates to watering, and a light rain pushes back the watering period by a week.
Garden irrigation methods
For irrigation of garden plants, depending on the type of water supply, three methods are used:
- drip irrigation;
- surface watering (direct water supply);
- sprinkler irrigation.
Drip irrigation can be used to effectively fertilize the root system of trees and shrubs. Dosed supply allows rational use of water. This method of watering is indispensable in windy areas.
Surface irrigation is more often used on soils with poor absorption, which allows you to create an optimal supply of moisture. It is effective to water trees in the summer in a superficial way along furrows, holes-rings or bowls.
For surface irrigation in large gardens, it is necessary to lay a metal pipeline. Compact garden plots can be watered by laying deep furrows before each irrigation.
When sprinkling, the soil, the air above the soil and the ground part of the plants are moistened. The main advantage of the method is that the structure of the irrigated soil is not damaged.
Sprinkler irrigation can be carried out manually (through a hose, a hydrant for watering the garden), by installing an irrigation system with sprayers or by installing automatic watering.
Automatic watering
Irrigation System Capabilities
Over the past decades, the technology of watering garden plots has been automated and improved. The possibility of automatic watering to irrigate the soil in different ways and at any time has significantly expanded the scope of its application (gardens, landscaping, stadiums, city flower beds and garden plots).
Automatic watering of the garden has several advantages:
- the versatility of the irrigation system provides care for a wide range of plants;
- the ability to irrigate at night, when moisture evaporation is minimal;
- reduction of time and effort for watering the site;
- water consumption is reduced by almost 50%;
- increasing productivity and giving the garden a beautiful, fragrant appearance;
- there is no need to make furrows and trenches to direct the flow of water.
Operation features
For the smooth operation of the automatic irrigation system of the garden, you need to know some of the nuances of its installation and operation.
Consider the most important points for the effective operation of automatic irrigation:
- providing a reliable source of water (pipeline);
- to maintain a constant pressure (4-6 bar), a storage tank with a pump is installed;
- the use of water from natural reservoirs can lead to a malfunction of the system;
- so that the system does not interfere with mowing the lawn, the sprinkler heads must be installed at the level of the soil (with the start of irrigation, the sprayers rise);
- sprinklers should be evenly distributed throughout the garden, avoiding the appearance of "dead" irrigation zones;
- it is necessary to provide for the possibility of manual watering.
Competent and timely provision of the optimal water regime for plants will allow you to get a high yield every year and enjoy the magnificence of a well-groomed garden.