Irrigation is an important aspect of every landscape, whether it is a flower, shrub or vegetable garden. The basic irrigation techniques involve creation of simple basins and furrows.
Watering a vegetable garden is easy in winters, but it can be challenging in summer, if you don’t have a good soil. You need to consider the frequency of irrigation according to the climatic conditions, the type of soil and water requirements of plants. So, let us know more about the things to consider for irrigation of vegetable gardens.
Know how much water the vegetables need.
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In general, vegetable plants require about an inch of water per week. An inch should be the total amount of water the garden receives – both from the rain and manual irrigation.
But, the amount of water your garden really needs also depends on the type of soil.
If you have soil with over 60 percent clay, you can water your vegetable garden once a week.
If you have sandy soil that is also predisposed to retain moisture, you are unlikely to have a slightly larger amount of water. You can try to water twice a week and give the garden a half inch each time.
Then, monitor the health of your plants and soil moisture to decide what is sufficient.
Locations that receive continuous rain, may not require owners to add water to the garden every week.
But when summer comes, the weather gets hotter and drier, you might need to water your vegetable plants twice or thrice a week or more, depending on how fast your soil dries up.
Water as efficiently as possible.
Consider planting sprinklers and moving away from your yard. Do not use overhead sprinklers because most water is lost through evaporation. Considering a high-water bill and possibly ending up with some unfortunate vegetative plants.
This is because it is best to leave the leaves of pumpkin, cucumber and tomatoes as dry as possible, as they are susceptible to many fungi and other diseases.
Drip irrigation is the most efficient use of water in your garden. But, due to the cost & time required to install it, most gardeners don’t prefer having drip irrigation in their gardens.
If you live in an area expects to receive a lot of rain water in summer, and use drip irrigation you can leave your garden for weeks, regardless of whether your plants receive enough moisture.
California tree experts to help you in plant care.
Right time to water your vegetable plants
In this way, the leaves can dry out during the day, preventing diseases and mold problems.
Watering vegetable plants in the morning also saves water as it spreads and evaporates quickly in the hot afternoon sun.
The night is the second-best time to water your garden. However, make sure if you water at night, be careful not to wet the leaves. The water that stays on the leaves can attract pathogens, fungi and diseases.
Type of plants
The amount of water also depends on what is growing. Vegetables that bloom and produce fruit (such as pumpkin, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, etc.) require a lot of water. While leafy vegetables (for example: lettuce, spinach, herbs, bananas, chard, etc.) also need adequate water to grow and stay healthy until harvesting.
Larger fruits mean more water – not only the watering requirement depends on the type of plant, but the larger the fruits, the more water is needed. For example, a full-size watermelon requires more water than cherry tomatoes!
Don’t overwater
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You should never overwater your veggies! If the soil has poor drainage or it rains too much, it may get soggy.
Constantly wet soil will rot the roots and eventually kill the plants. So, this is something to be avoided. To ensure adequate drainage, loosen the compact soil and improve overall quality. Add compost or sand to improve the nutrient content and drainage of your soil.
Use drip irrigation
Drip irrigation is not just for commercial farming! Kits for use in home gardens are available online at a very reasonable price. A drip irrigation system is a well organized way to fill water as the pressurized emitters can be configured in specific water zones at predefined flow rates. With these kits you will know how much water you are putting in your garden.
Use mulch.
Mulch has many advantages. An ideal mulch is seven centimeters thick. Leave a space of three centimeters between the base of the plant and the canopy. Mulch maintains the soil temperature, conserves water to prevent evaporation, and suppresses rain diseases that can divide fungal spores on lower leaves.
The irrigation shop offers a wide range of irrigation systems, and their accessories for gardens and landscapes. The shop is located in Queensland, and they offer products and services in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan and Burnie City. If you are located in any of these locations, you can buy irrigation products and avail their installation services.
Final Words
Irrigation is important for the health and growth of your vegetable plants. Having a proper watering system like drip irrigation or sprinkler system enables you to water your garden adequately in every season. Also, knowing the watering requirements helps you to supply the right amount of water for the optimal growth of vegetables and prevent diseases. To know the watering requirements of your garden, it is best to test the soil and improve it using compost, sand and the right fertilizer. Following the irrigation tips in this post can help you grow your vegetables around the year. To know more about poly pipe irrigation fittings visit gmpoly.com.au
