To get the most from your water use, you should water your garden as efficiently as possible. While sprinklers are great for watering a lawn, they don’t always work well when it comes to getting water to a vegetable patch. The reason: sprinklers deliver water directly to the ground, while hoses focus the force of their streams on plants. That means if you have lots of thirsty plants in your veggie patch, a sprinkler won’t be able to adequately moisture them all. As an alternative, try using a hose. Here are five expert tips on how you can use a garden hose to water your plants more effectively without wasting precious water.
Set up a drip irrigation system
One of the easiest ways to conserve water while watering your garden is to install an irrigation system. Even if you only water your garden once a week, you could easily save hundreds of gallons of water by installing a drip irrigation system. By slowly feeding your plants with water through a drip system, you’ll find you don’t need to water as much while maintaining the health of your plants. By installing your own drip system, you can save an incredible amount of water. You can either install an existing system or build your own from scratch. A perforated polyethylene (PE) pipe and fittings will be your irrigation system’s core. The pipe should be buried at least 6” into the ground and the system should be buried at least 6” beneath the soil as well.
Use the spray setting
If you have a high-pressure hose with a spray nozzle, you can save water by dialing it down. You might be spraying your hose at full blast all the time, wasting gallons of water. Instead, dial the spray back to a gentle mist. While you don’t need to water your plants continuously, you do want to give them a good soaking. If you’re only watering your plants once a day, you’re leaving them dry.
Start slow and build up the water pressure
If you’re new to watering with a hose, start slowly. Most systems have pressure valves that you can adjust to deliver a steady, consistent flow. If you try to blast your hose at maximum pressure from the start, you’ll waste gallons of water. Instead, start off low and gradually increase the pressure.
Avoid overwatering your plants
When you first use your hose, turn it on very slowly and make sure that you don’t deliver too much water at once. This is a common rookie mistake, which is why it’s so important to start slowly. If you water your plants too much right away, you’ll leave them too dry. Remember: you want to water your plants just enough to make good growth, not too much.
Clean your hose before turning it on for the first time
Before you turn your hose on for the first time, clean it really well. Scrub it with a nylon brush or even pressure wash it. A dirty or clogged hose is a waste of water. When you start out, make sure all debris has been cleaned out of your hose. This makes sure that your water flow is as clean and efficient as possible.
Final words
Watering your garden with a hose is an easy and efficient way to make sure your plants get the moisture they need. By following these five tips, you can water your plants more effectively and save water in the process. For more information on watering your garden, check out https://giraffetools.com/products/retractable-garden-hose-reel. Giraffe Tools has a wide selection of watering products to help you get the job done right.
